Texas Sues to Overturn Adoption Rule It Says Discriminates Against Religious Groups

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building is seen in Washington on July 22, 2019. Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit (pdf) against the Biden administration on Dec. 12 to ensure the state can continue working with faith-based organizations to provide adoption and foster care services.

Primarily, the lawsuit seeks an end to an Obama-era Health and Human Services Department (HHS) rule, known as the SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Rule, which prohibits the recipients of federal funding for adoption and foster care services from discriminating based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status.