CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) 鈥 New York state officials may continue to take legal action against a county outside New York City that has banned transgender players from women鈥檚 and girls teams, a judge ruled Thursday.
U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury denied Nassau County's request for a temporary restraining order against state Attorney General Letitia James, saying the Long Island county 鈥渇alls far short of meeting the high bar for securing the extraordinary relief."
Among other things, Choudhury said the county failed to 鈥渄emonstrate irreparable harm,鈥 which she said was a 鈥渃ritical prerequisite鈥 for such an order.
The ruling, however, doesn鈥檛 address the legality of the county鈥檚 ban or James鈥 request that the lawsuit be dismissed. Those issues will be decided at a later date.
Last month, James, a Democrat, issued a to the county demanding it rescind the ban because she said it violates New York鈥檚 anti-discrimination laws. The ban also faces a legal challenge from a which has asked a state court to invalidate it.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, responded to James' action with asking a judge to affirm that the ban was legal and to prevent James from taking action against it.
Blakeman's February order, which affects more than 100 public facilities in the county just east of the New York City borough of Queens, states that any female sports organization that accepts transgender women or girls will be denied permits to use county-owned parks and fields.
Echoing the arguments of officials who have taken similar actions in other Republican-led cities and states, the county says women and girls will be discriminated against and their constitutional rights to equal protection will be violated if transgender athletes are allowed to compete alongside them.
James and Blakeman鈥檚 offices did not respond to emails seeking comment Thursday.
