Federal judge wants more lawyer input in bathroom law case

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge who's considering whether to block a North Carolina law governing transgender bathroom access wants to hear more from attorneys after the U.S. Supreme Court waded into a Virginia case.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder ordered lawyers to tell him how he should treat Wednesday's Supreme Court decision. The court ruled that a Virginia school board could temporarily block a transgender male from using the boys' restroom at school.

North Carolina's law requires transgender people to use the restrooms in public buildings that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates instead of their gender identity.

Schroeder heard attorneys debate the law Monday. Conservatives say the law protects privacy and safety. Transgender people say it discriminates against them and that restroom safety is protected by existing laws.