Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today released the following statement after a federal district court granted the state’s request for preliminary injunction on the Obama Administration’s attempt to revise the definition of “spouse” in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA):
“The Obama Administration’s attempt to force employers to recognize same-sex marriages would have put state agencies in the position of either violating Texas law or federal regulations. We are pleased that the Department of Labor’s effort to override our laws via federal rulemaking has been halted, and we will continue to defend our sovereignty in this case.”
On March 18, Attorney General Paxton’s office filed suit against the U.S. Department of Labor over the newly revised definition of “spouse” in the FMLA, which includes a same-sex spouse if the marriage occurred in a state that recognizes such marriage. The proposed rule would direct state agencies to grant family and medical leave benefits to same-sex marriages, which the state does not recognize. The rule was scheduled to take effect March 27.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office has been joined in this lawsuit by the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Nebraska.