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DOJ Sues California Over Transgender Athlete Policy

Triggered by California’s rejection of a federal resolution agreement, the lawsuit intensifies a clash over transgender student-athlete policies under Title IX.

Jurupa Valley’s AB Hernandez, second from left, shares the first-place podium spot with Jillene Wetteland, left, of Poly Long Beach and Lelani Laruelle of Monta Vista in a three-way tie during a medal ceremony for the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, California, on May 31, 2025. (CRAIG KOHLRUSS/The Fresno Bee/TNS)
Gov. Gavin Newsom, R-Calif., speaks to a crowd gathered at an event space during a two-day swing through South Carolina on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Bennettsville, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
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Overview

  • The Justice Department filed suit July 9 against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation for alleged Title IX and equal-protection violations in allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports.
  • The federal complaint accuses state officials of sex discrimination by displacing cisgender girls from podiums, denying awards and creating a hostile environment in school athletics.
  • DOJ seeks a permanent injunction barring California’s policy, conditions on continued receipt of federal education funding and corrective measures including restoring records and monitoring compliance.
  • California formally declined on July 7 to sign an Office for Civil Rights resolution agreement that would have required schools to adopt biology-based definitions of “male” and “female” and bar transgender athletes from female teams.
  • State leaders plan to defend California’s 2013 law protecting gender-identity participation as the lawsuit marks the latest in a national dispute over federal civil-rights enforcement and transgender inclusion in sports.