A Texas state district judge on Friday temporarily blocked a directive by Gov. Greg Abbott to have state authorities investigate gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth as child abuse.

The ruling by District Judge Amy Clark Meachum in Travis County came after Abbott's order led to the investigation of a state employee's family after their daughter received such care, prompting the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal to sue over the directive.

Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a non-binding opinion that some "sex-change" procedures and the prescribing of puberty-blockers to certain children is "child abuse" under Texas law.

Paxton's opinion was followed by a directive from Abbott to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services "to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas."

Meachum said the plaintiffs would likely succeed after a trial on the merits of the case and ordered that hearing to begin in July. Meachum said the directive exceeded Abbott's authority under the Texas Constitution and the type of care it targeted never triggered an investigation prior to the directive.