Biden administration policies on immigrant, reproductive, and LGBTQ rights have all hit the same roadblock in Amarillo, Texas: Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.
The federal trial court judge in the Northern District of Texas has halted federal action meant to protect asylum seekers and tossed rules expanding teen access to birth control. He also rejected a policy that stopped doctors from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Kacsmaryk now has the opportunity to strip a common drug used in medication abortions of its federal approval and block regulators from enforcing a Labor Department rule that requires private-sector employers to consider environmental, societal, and governance factors when choosing investments for 401(k) plans.
“I’m hard-pressed to think of a federal judge who has had a greater impact in less time,” said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas at Austin School of Law professor.
The Donald Trump appointee, who worked at a conservative religious liberties legal group before his confirmation in 2019, has become a sought-after judge for both private litigants challenging the federal government and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). That’s in large part because he reliably returns rulings undercutting Biden’s agenda.
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