A lawsuit from GOP states to end trans protections ended by rolling back disability rights

A lawsuit filed by conservative-led states in 2024 to block transgender protections under disability law has instead ended with a federal court striking 'community integration' language from the Section 504 regulations that implement the landmark Olmstead ruling. The Department of Health and Human Services joined the states in August to ask for that language removed, and a judge granted it last week, closing the case, Texas v. Kennedy.

Disability advocates say the change removes a federal check ensuring states prioritize home and community-based care over nursing homes and institutions. Baton Rouge attorney Charlotte Cravins, whose toddler son has Down syndrome and receives publicly funded therapy, said the services her family relies on are 'at risk now of being unavailable.'

HHS told Stateline it 'remains firmly committed to protecting the civil rights of individuals with disabilities,' while the Justice Department called the ruling simply a clarification of Olmstead's 'proper scope.' Florida's attorney general's office said joining the suit was about checking federal power, not denying care, while disability law expert Alison Barkoff called it part of 'this bigger effort from the federal government to walk away from their longstanding commitment to the right to community living.'

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