The Trump administration has announced it is suing the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) over alleged violations of Title IX, a 1972 federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, centers on California’s policy allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ sports teams based on their gender identity, which the administration claims undermines equal opportunities for female athletes.
The legal action follows a June 25, 2025, finding by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which concluded that California’s policies violate Title IX by permitting transgender girls to participate in female sports and access female facilities.
The OCR’s investigation was sparked by incidents like the participation of transgender student AB Hernandez, who won multiple events at the California high school track-and-field championships in May 2025, prompting national controversy.
The administration argues that these policies “eviscerate equal athletic opportunities for girls” and create “unfair and unsafe competitions,” citing biological differences.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to bar transgender girls from girls’ sports, require schools to adopt biology-based definitions of “male” and “female,” and restore records, titles, and awards to cisgender female athletes, along with issuing formal apologies to those affected.
Failure to comply could risk billions in federal education funding, with California’s 2025 allocation estimated at $44.3 billion.