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Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Appeals court allows Arkansas' first-in-the-nation ban on gender transition care for minors to be enforced
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender transition medical treatment to minors, reversing a lower court decision that blocked the first-in-the-nation law. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-2 on Tuesday to overturn a lower court decision, now allowing the state to enforce the law. The appeals court cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June upholding a similar ban in Tennessee, in which the nation's highest court ruled that the law was constitutional and did not discriminate against transgender people. Referencing the Supreme Court's decision, the appeals court agreed with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, that the law did not violate transgender minors' equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution. "I applaud the court's decision and am pleased that children in Arkansas will be protected from experimental procedures," Griffin said in a statement following the ruling. Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on social media that the ruling "is a win for common sense -- and for our kids." Arkansas became the first U.S. state to ban transgender treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors in 2021, when the Republican-led legislature passed the ban after they overruled the veto of then-GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Four families of transgender children and two doctors challenged the law, arguing the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act violated parents' due process rights under the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. Writing the majority opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton said parents have never had a right to obtain medical treatment for their children that a state government had banned. The judge also wrote that the lower court's decision, in which U.S. District Judge Jay Moody ruled in 2023 that the law discriminates against transgender people and poses "immediate and irreparable harm" to transgender children, conflicts with the Supreme Court's decision in the Tennessee case. The law was also previously blocked from taking effect in 2021. U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, meanwhile, wrote in the dissent that there is a "startling lack of evidence connecting Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care with its purported goal of protecting children." The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas were among the groups representing the plaintiffs. "This is a tragically unjust result for transgender Arkansans, their doctors, and their families," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement. "The state had every opportunity and failed at every turn to prove that this law helps children; in fact, this is a dangerous law that harms children," she continued. "The law has already had a profound impact on families across Arkansas who all deserve a fundamental right to do what is best for their children. As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want transgender Arkansans to know they are far from alone and we remain as determined as ever to secure their right to safety, dignity, and equal access to the health care they need." The ruling on Tuesday comes after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week that a similar ban in Oklahoma is constitutional, also relying upon the Supreme Court's decision on the Tennessee law.
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Texas files motion against O'Rourke in fight over redistricting maps
Texas on Tuesday filed a contempt motion against Beto O'Rourke, alleging he is violating a court order by continuing to fundraise for state legislators who fled the Lone Star State earlier this month. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Texas filed a motion for contempt Tuesday against Beto O'Rourke, accusing him of violating a temporary restraining order barring him from fundraising for Democratic lawmakers who fled the state earlier this month amid a deepening fight with Republicans over redistricting maps. In the motion, filed in the District Court for Tarrant County, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges that O'Rourke -- a former U.S. House legislator and potential Democratic presidential candidate -- violated a court order that was handed down Friday by continuing to solicit donations for Texas Democrats through the Democratic Party's ActBlue fundraising arm, specifically at rallies in Fort Worth and Abilene that were held over the weekend and online. "Beto is about to find out that running your mouth and ignoring the rule of law has consequences in Texas," Paxton said on X. "It's time to lock him up." Democrats have come out in force since their Texas colleagues fled the state earlier this month to deny Republicans a quorum to pass redistricting maps that would give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Critics and Democrats argue that the maps draw lines that dilute the voting power of Latino and Black people, while serving as a power grab by President Donald Trump through rigging the GOP representation in the House ahead of next year's midterm elections. Usually, redistricting occurs once a decade with the publishing of U.S. Census Bureau data. O'Rourke has been at the forefront of the effort to support Texas Democrats and a target of Paxton, who, on Friday, secured a temporary restraining order barring his fellow Texan from soliciting donations for nonpolitical purposes, including to fund "out-of-state travel, hotel or dining accommodations or services to unexcused Texas legislators during any special legislative session called by the Texas governor." The motion filed Tuesday centers mainly on social media posts by O'Rourke that encourage people to donate "to have the backs of our Texas Democrats in this fight," and the two rallies held over the weekend, specifically the Saturday event in Fort Worth, where Paxton in the motion quotes the Democrat as having said, "There are no refs in this game. [expletive] the rules," seemingly to suggest he was openly flouting the court order. O'Rourke responded to the lawsuit by accusing Paxton of purposefully misusing his words in a social media post, that included a clip from the rally the attorney general quoted him from. The clip shows O'Rourke speaking about encouraging all Democratic-led states to redraw their maps as Texas has to "maximize Democratic Party advantage" because "there are no refs in this game." In the Tuesday response, O'Rourke said Paxton was "lying to try to silence us." "We alerted the court that the AG's office blatantly lied in its filing," he said in a post on X. "We're seeking maximum sanctions in response to his abuse of office." If the court finds O'Rourke in violation of the temporary restraining order, it could fine him up to $500 and jail him for up to six months. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for Aug. 19. The filing comes the same day the Texas Senate approved the controversial redistricting map 19-2 along party lines, with nine of the 11 Democrats walking out before the vote in protest.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
California governor demands Trump abandon Texas redistricting push, threatens ballot measure response
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is demanding that President Donald Trump abandon a GOP-led redistricting push in Texas following a Democratic walkout that blocked the vote in the Lone Star State over a Republican effort to redraw congressional maps. The Democratic governor warned the partisan battle risks spiraling into a national redistricting "arms race" and urged Trump to "stand down." After days of aggressive back and forth between the two leaders, Newsom tweeted from the official page of the Governor Newsom Press Office, mocking Trump in what was ostensibly meant to mimic the president's idiosyncratic style of using all-caps and superlatives for many of his posts. "DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, 'MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!). BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR 'MAGA.' THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN," the tweet read. Newsom's hyperbolic, Trump-mimicking tone suggested that California will be retaliating in the ongoing redistricting battle unless red states like Texas abort their partisan map plans. The governor seemed to double down on comments on X from Monday in which he posted a video along with the caption: "Donald Trump: It's time to call Greg Abbott and tell him to stand down. You are not 'entitled' to 5 congressional seats. If you do not call your lapdogs off, CA will act quickly and swiftly. We will go to the ballot. We will neutralize whatever gains you make. We will not stand by while you light Democracy on fire." The post coincided with a letter to Trump from Monday accusing the president of "playing with fire." The governor said he is prepared to do whatever it takes to combat any gains that the republicans may achieve through efforts in Texas. "You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make," Newsom told Trump in the letter. "This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy," Newsom said. Newsom said he was in favor of leaving the decision to independent commissions, and that he would "happily" stand down if other states followed suit in the redistricting effort. In another snarky, all-caps tweet meant to mimic Trump's social media style, Newsom's office summarized the letter: "DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES. BUT IF THE OTHER STATES CALL OFF THEIR REDISTRICTING EFFORTS, WE WILL DO THE SAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" Newsom's threat could mark a dramatic reversal of California's voter-approved independent redistricting process and potentially require legislative action or even a statewide ballot measure. While this is only intended as a political counterpunch, the move has sparked debate among Democrats' and Republicans' about whether the party risks sacrificing its moral high ground on fair maps.
