North Carolina Sues Federal Government Over Law on Trans Rights (UPDATE)

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: In response to North Carolina's failure to comply to a Monday deadline, the U.S. Justice Department has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state. "This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said during a press conference. "This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them—indeed, to protect all of us." The suit seeks a court order that would declare House Bill 2 "discriminate on the basis of sex," warranting a statewide ban of its enforcement.

"You've been told that this law protects vulnerable populations from harm—but that just is not the case," Lynch told citizens of her home state. "Instead, what this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has already suffered far more than its fair share. This law provides no benefit to society—all it does is harm innocent Americans."

The response to the Justice Department's move was immediate, with many praising Lynch for taking a stand against transgender discrimination:

Facing a deadline from the federal government to amend recent LGBT laws that prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity, the state of North Carolina has filed a lawsuit against Washington.

Given until Monday to change the recent "bathroom laws," theAssociated Press reported Monday morning that North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is standing firm in his decision to enforce the law, despite the Justice Department's insistence that the law violates transgender people's civil rights.