Following U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s remarks on Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), citing their state-law-based policy allowing transgender girls to compete in high school girls’ sports.
The 24-page complaint (Case No. 8:25-cv-1485) was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles). It seeks a declaration that the defendants’ “policies, practices, and actions violate Title IX of the Education Amendments and related contractual commitments of the California Department of Education,” along with a permanent injunction to halt further violations. Specific demands include:
- Issuing directives to all CIF member schools banning “males from participating in female sports competitions”;
- Establishing oversight and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with Title IX’s requirements for equal athletic opportunities;
- Creating procedures to compensate female athletes denied equal opportunities due to the policy, including correcting past sports records;
- Submitting regular compliance reports to the court and the U.S. government for at least five years.
The lawsuit also seeks financial penalties, though no specific amount was specified.
In its introductory sections, the complaint outlines its rationale:
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“4. Defendants’ policies and actions harm girls by depriving them of equal opportunities to compete in a fair environment alongside boys. Their sports policies force girls to compete against boys in female events, constituting sex-based discrimination that harms female student-athletes under their jurisdiction.”
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“5. These policies not only deny girls equal athletic opportunities but also force them to share private spaces like locker rooms with boys, creating a hostile educational environment that undermines their access to education...”
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“7. Inherent biological differences between the sexes generally make them unequal in athletic competition. These differences are not altered by an individual’s subjective ‘gender identity.’”
The lawsuit escalates a national debate over transgender athletes’ participation in school sports, pitting federal claims of Title IX violations against California’s state laws supporting transgender inclusion. CIF and the California Department of Education have not yet commented on the filing.
