Photo by Davis Turner/Getty Images.

The Department of Justice gave the state of North Carolina until today to stop enforcing a controversial law passed in March that rolls back LGBT protections, and the Tarheel State is choosing to sue the federal government rather than comply.

The law, HB2, prevents transgender people from using public bathrooms that do not match the gender on their birth certificates, among other things. The DOJ last Wednesday sent NC Governor Pat McCrory a letter stating that HB2 violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act. “The State is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against its employees and both you and the State are engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of Title VII rights by employees of public agencies.”

The letter says that North Carolina needs to “remedy these violations … by confirming that the State will not comply with or implement HB2” by close of business on Monday, May 9, or else the DOJ will “apply to the appropriate court for an order that will ensure compliance.”

McCrory has made his decision. He’s leading a lawsuit to keep the law on the books. The suit calls the DOJ letter a “baseless and blatant overreach,” and wants a federal court to declare that HB2 is not discriminatory because it allows agencies to make reasonable accommodations.

“I’m taking this initiative to ensure that North Carolina continues to receive federal funding until the courts resolve this issue,” said McCrory in a prepared statement. Federal funding for North Carolina education is at stake, which amounted to $861 million last year, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The law has already led to travel bans from other states and the cities, the formation of a Mayors Against Discrimination coalition, the scuttling of business expansion plans, and the cancellation of performances.