Governor drops lawsuit to streamline legal cases on LGBT law

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s governor is dropping a lawsuit defending a law limiting LGBT protections as he pursues similar arguments in a separate case.

Gov. Pat McCrory’s lawyers filed notice Friday that they’re voluntarily dismissing the lawsuit filed in May in a Raleigh federal court.

McCrory’s lawyers cite cost savings for the state and efficiency for the courts as reasons for dropping the lawsuit.

The Republican governor is pursuing a similar defense of the law in another federal court against challengers including the ACLU and federal Justice Department. A trial is expected in May 2017.

The North Carolina law requires transgender people to use restrooms in schools and state government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate. It also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from state anti-discrimination protections.