Story highlights North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on Wednesday defended his state's "bathroom bill"

House Bill 2 prohibits people from entering bathroom that do not match the sex on their birth certificates

(CNN) North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on Wednesday defended his state's contentious "bathroom bill," calling it a response to activist overreach while criticizing the federal government for escalating the fight.

The Justice Department's harsh condemnation of the law is "an insult," McCrory told CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead," adding, "it's a political statement instead of a legal statement."

Signed into law in March, House Bill 2 prohibits people from entering bathrooms that do not match the sex on their birth certificates -- a distinction that opponents, now including top federal law enforcement officials, have called a violation of the Civil Rights Act.

On Monday, the Justice Department and North Carolina filed dueling lawsuits, setting the stage for a long legal battle that could be destined for the Supreme Court.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch called the legislation "state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security."

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