Texas allowed to resume investigations of families with trans kids

A Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state could resume investigating parents for child abuse if they seek gender-affirming care for transgender kids.

Why it matters: The decision reverses an injunction by a Texas appeals court in March that temporarily blocked such investigations.

The big picture: The court's ruling leaves the injunction in place for the family that originally filed the case's initial lawsuit as the case goes to trial.

• The ruling also stated that the appeals court had "abused its discretion" by issuing a statewide order.
• The probes began after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered state agencies in February to investigate gender-affirming care for transgender kids as child abuse.
• The court called both Abbott's order and the state attorney general's opinion "nonbinding," meaning that state agencies are not required to report and investigate families who seek gender-affirming care but are allowed to do so.