Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over transgender athletes in California

A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging California's policy of allowing transgender youth to play on sports teams that match their gender. S. District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela issued a final order on Monday terminating the case, according to court documents.

The lawsuit, filed by the S. Justice Department in July 2025, alleged that California's Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation violated Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in schools. The complaint focused on five transgender girls who played sports, accusing them of taking opportunities away from other girls, and argued that the state was obligated to ban transgender girls from girls' teams while receiving federal funding.

In her ruling, Judge Valenzuela found that Title IX does not require excluding transgender girls from girls' teams. She wrote that the recent S. Supreme Court decision upholding similar bans in West Virginia and Idaho "expressly permit[s] schools" to maintain separate sex-based teams and that states "may determine eligibility" based on biological sex, but that the ruling did not require every school to adopt such rules, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

The judge noted that the Supreme Court "declined to decide whether Title IX permits transgender girls to participate on girls' and women's teams" and that nothing in its opinion addressed that "distinct question." She similarly concluded she did not need to decide that issue, only whether Title IX clearly required California to exclude transgender girls, finding it did not.

A central element of the ruling was the judge's finding that the federal government failed to give California clear notice that its federal funding was contingent on banning transgender girls from sports. The ruling noted that federal guidelines on the issue have shifted repeatedly, and that an executive order issued by President Trump calling for transgender girls to be blocked from girls' sports did not constitute such notice, as detailed by The Guardian.

The Justice Department, which had pursued the case for a year, has not yet indicated its next steps. A department spokesperson said Tuesday that it was "evaluating our options for appeal."

The California Interscholastic Federation declined to comment on the ruling. California officials have noted that fewer than 10 transgender student-athletes were actively participating in school sports, a figure cited in court filings.

Reactions

The ruling was welcomed by LGBTQ+ rights groups and families directly affected by the lawsuit. Trevor Norcross, father of a transgender youth athlete targeted in the lawsuit, called the decision an "acknowledgment that the Trump administration has been overreaching since the beginning of his term," as quoted by The Guardian. Rainbow Families Action, an advocacy group, said the ruling "lifts a significant shadow" over transgender student-athletes.

Youth targeted by the lawsuit have said the impact has been severe, with transgender students facing harassment at games and death threats, according to The Guardian.

Context

California has allowed transgender girls to play on girls' teams in schools since 2013, a policy that has been in flux amid legal and political challenges. The lawsuit was brought by Harmeet Dhillon and Bill Essayli, both prominent figures in the campaign against transgender inclusion in sports, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The dismissal comes two months after the S. Supreme Court's conservative majority upheld Republican-backed laws in West Virginia and Idaho that barred transgender girls from girls' teams. Judge Valenzuela noted that the Supreme Court's decision was narrow and did not call for a national ban on transgender youth athletes. The Supreme Court's ruling allowed states to set eligibility standards but did not decide the broader question of whether Title IX permits transgender girls to play on girls' teams.

More than 20 states now have laws similar to California's trans-inclusive sports policies, according to The Guardian.

As of this report, the Justice Department has not announced whether it will appeal the dismissal.