Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Texas since January 20, 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Abbott previously served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015. He is the third governor of any U.S. state to permanently use a wheelchair. He is also the first disabled governor in Texas history.
BREAKING NEWS: Arkansas judge rules against ban on gender-affirming health care
A federal district court judge in Little Rock has struck down and permanently enjoined an Arkansas law that banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth according to a press release from the ACLU.
In his ruling today (Tuesday, June 20) in Brandt et al v. Rutledge et al, U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr. found that the law violates the constitutional rights of transgender youth, their parents and their medical providers, held that plaintiffs prevailed on all their claims and found that the ban violated the Equal Protection Clause, the Due Process Clauses, and the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution. The decision follows a weeks-long trial in the fall of 2022 and is the first final merits ruling in the country on such a law.
The Texas Legislature enacted and Gov. Greg Abbott signed a similar law just last month, and trans advocates have already pledged to challenge the Texas law as well.
