Texas doesn’t have to place LGBTQ foster youth in homes that affirm their identities, court rules

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. A federal judge has blocked a Biden-era rule that required states to provide LGBTQ+ affirming placement for foster care youth, ruling in Texas’ favor in a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Ken Paxton. The lawsuit filed in September, argued that the rule issued by the U.S. Health and Human Services would exacerbate the foster care provider shortage by compelling states to recruit new providers while costing Texas money.