what happens when one government entity “sues” another one?

Question

For example, in the US the Justice Department just “sued” the state of Texas over the abortion ban. Typically I think of “sueing” for monetary compensation when someone has wronged you in some way, so what does it mean in this context?

In: 3

Answer 1

“The US government is asking the court to declare the abortion law “invalid, null, and void,” and bar Texas from enforcing it in any way.”

So they want the court to strike down the law