CA sues Justice Dept. over demand that school districts ban trans athletes

[Jessica_Rose]

California sues Justice Dept. over demand that school districts ban trans athletes

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-sues-justice-dept-over-demand-that-school-districts-ban-trans-athletes/ar-AA1Goooe?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=ed81485db59c49bfcc1fb1657a384e02&ei=125

Story by Kevin Rector, Howard Blume (9 June 2025)

California sued the U.S. Justice Department on Monday over its demand last week that local school districts ban transgender youth from competing in sports, arguing the federal agency had overstepped its authority in violation of both state and federal law.

The "pre-enforcement" lawsuit was filed "in anticipation of imminent legal retaliation against California's school systems" for not complying with the agency's directive by its Monday deadline, said California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's office, which is handling the litigation.

The lawsuit comes a week after Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump appointee and head of the federal Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, sent a letter to school districts across California warning them that they faced potential "legal liability" if they did not "certify in writing" by Monday that they will break with California Interscholastic Federation rules and state law to ban transgender athletes from competition in their districts.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond responded last week by saying in his own letter to schools that Dhillon's warning carried no legal weight and that school districts were still obligated to follow state law, which requires transgender athletes be allowed to compete on teams based on their gender identity.

The California Department of Education sent a letter to federal authorities Monday, informing them that California's school districts are under no obligation to provide certifications to the Justice Department.