Court Halts Obama Department of Labor “Spouse” Rule

Austin, TX, March, 27 2015 – Yesterday, a federal district judge in Texas granted the Texas Attorney General’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 rule, which was set to take effect today, would have revised the definition of “spouse” to include same-sex spouses with marriage licenses from other states, which are not recognized in the state of Texas and violate our state’s marriage laws. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the U.S. Department of Labor’s unconstitutional rule last week.

Texas Values President and Attorney, Jonathan Saenz, issued this statement in response:

 “We are pleased that a judge has halted the Obama Administration’s attempt to override our state marriage laws and force employers to violate Texas law. The federal government’s effort to force state agencies to recognize out-of-state same-sex ‘marriages’ is an egregious abuse of power, and we applaud Attorney General Ken Paxton for defending our state sovereignty in this case. Texans have overwhelmingly affirmed that marriage is the union of one man and one woman at the ballot box, and the federal government should not have the authority to trample their voice.”

View the Texas Attorney General’s press release on this case here.

Texas Values continues to be the leading voice and force in protecting marriage between one man and one woman in Texas and will be filing a brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Texas’ marriage laws.

About Texas Values

Texas Values is a non-profit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.