Eighteen Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration this week over federal guidance that promotes LGBTQ+ ideology.
According to NBC News, In a lawsuit filed against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice, attorneys general from 18 states argued that the new rules force employers to affirm transgender people’s “gender identities.” This would allow transgender people to go by a different name and preferred pronouns, as well as use restrooms that align with their gender identity instead of their biological sex.
“In America, the Constitution gives the power to make laws to the people’s elected representatives, not to unaccountable commissioners, and this EEOC guidance is an attack on our constitutional separation of powers,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement about the lawsuit on Monday. “When, as here, a federal agency engages in government over the people instead of government by the people, it undermines the legitimacy of our laws and alienates Americans from our legal system.”
‼️ICYMI
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) May 14, 2024
The EEOC has tried to rewrite Title VII once before. We sued them and won.
Yesterday, 17 states joined Tennessee in suing the EEOC to stop this abuse of federal power.
We will continue to defend TN businesses and institutions from illegal federal overreach. pic.twitter.com/xL0pZuvITx
Skrmetti led the coalition of the 18 states in the lawsuit. The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia are also part of the lawsuit.
Late last month, Townhall reported how Skrmetti and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin led a coalition of 17 states in a separate lawsuit challenging a new EEOC policy mandating workplace abortion accommodations through an illegal interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).
The PWFA, which passed Congress in 2022, ensures that pregnant women in the workplace receive accommodations to protect their unborn children as well as themselves. Under the rule, pregnant workers, and women who experience miscarriages and stillbirths are entitled to time off, among other things.
However, the commission decided to include abortion accommodations as part of the rule. According to the Associated Press, the language means that workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure. Under this statute, If employers do not comply with abortion accommodations, they could face a federal lawsuit.