Overview

• Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a federal lawsuit on April 22 to challenge President Trump’s executive orders banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.
• The lawsuit argues that the orders violate the U.S. Constitution, Title IX protections against sex discrimination, and Minnesota’s Human Rights Act, which prohibits gender identity discrimination.
• Ellison’s legal action aims to preempt potential federal lawsuits and funding cuts, similar to those already imposed on Maine for noncompliance with the executive orders.
• The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal education funding from states that allow transgender athletes to compete based on their gender identity, framing this as a Title IX enforcement issue.
• The White House has condemned Minnesota’s lawsuit, while Ellison has called the administration’s actions bullying and vowed to defend the rights of transgender students.