Judge blocks Texas investigation of trans teen's parents
Eric Gay/AP
FILE - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas on June 8, 2021. The parents of a transgender teenager in Texas said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, March 1, 2021, that the state is investigating them after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered officials to look into reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
A Texas judge has blocked the state from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager over gender confirming treatments she's received.
District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary order halting the investigation of the 16-year-old's parents but didn't issue a broader ruling blocking Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's directive requiring officials to look into such treatments on youth as abuse.
The judge will hold a hearing on March 11 on the broader case.
Abbott issued his directive following a legal opinion by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, which claims gender-confirming procedures "constitute child abuse."
The parents' lawsuit marked the first reported investigation sparked by the directive and legal opinion.
The 16-year-old's mother works for the state and was reportedly placed on leave once she was informed she was being investigated.
The teenager has reportedly received puberty-delaying medication and hormone therapy.
The ACLU and Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit on behalf of the parents and transgender teenager.