Texas appeals court blocks state from investigating parents providing children with transgender treatment

A Texas appeals court upheld a lower court's injunction Friday blocking the state from investigating parents who provide their children with gender-transitioning treatment. 

The appeals court in Austin upheld a district court judge's injunction imposed in March 2022 after Republican Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate families whose children were receiving puberty blockers. 

"This is a much-needed victory for trans youth and those who love and support them," the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Abbott's office and the ACLU for additional comment. 

The ACLU and Lambda Legal had initially challenged Abbott's order on behalf of the family of a 16-year-old transgender girl. 

She had taken puberty-delaying medications and hormone therapy. Her mother, a DFPS employee, was placed on administrative leave following Abbott's directive, according to Reuters. 

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Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled in March 2022 that the plaintiffs in the case faced "deprivation of their constitutional rights, the potential loss of necessary medical care and the stigma attached to being the subject of an unfounded child abuse investigation."

Meachum also held that Abbott had exceeded his authority in the initial February order. 

Earlier this month, another Texas judge temporarily blocked state Attorney General Ken Paxton from requiring an LGBTQ+ advocacy group to provide information about transgender children receiving gender transition treatment.

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The ruling came shortly after PFLAG National, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, challenged Paxton's office in court to prevent it from collecting the information.

Travis County District Court Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel said providing the information would harm PFLAG and its members in several ways, including violating their rights of free speech, association and protection from unreasonable searches.

Fox News' Landon Mion and Reuters contributed to this report.