A judge ruled Thursday that New York state officials may sue a county outside New York City that excluded transgender athletes from women's and girls teams.
Judge Nusrat Choudhury denied Nassau County's plea for a temporary restraining order against state Attorney General Letitia James, stating the county “falls far short of meeting the high bar for securing the extraordinary relief.”
Choudhury ruled the county failed to “demonstrate irreparable harm,” a “critical prerequisite” for such an injunction.
The court does not consider the county's ban's validity or James' request to dismiss the complaint. Those issues will be decided later.
Last month, Democratic James sent the county a “cease and desist” letter demanding it lift the prohibition, which she said violated New York's anti-discrimination statutes. A local women's roller derby league has asked a state court to overturn the ban.
Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman filed a federal lawsuit to uphold the prohibition and prevent James from challenging it.
Blakeman ordered in February that any female sports organization that admits transgender women or girls will be denied permits to utilize county-owned parks and fields in the county immediately east of Queens.
The county, like other Republican-led cities and states, claims that allowing transgender athletes to compete will discriminate against women and girls and violate their constitutional rights to equal protection.
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