Federal appeals court says Trump orders aren't law, rejects trans athlete ban in Minnesotahttps://www.advocate.com/politics/national/legal-win-trans-athletes-minnesota 🔗Christopher Wiggins (15 April 2026)
A federal appeals court on Wednesday handed transgender students in Minnesota a significant legal victory, allowing the state to keep enforcing a policy that lets high school athletes compete consistent with their gender identity.
In Female Athletes United v. Ellison, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld a lower court's refusal to block the policy, leaving intact a Minnesota State High School League bylaw adopted in 2016 that allows participation "consistent with their gender identity or expression."
The challenge came from Female Athletes United, which sought a preliminary injunction barring transgender girls from competing on girls' teams. The group argued that Minnesota's policy violates Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in education.
But the Eighth Circuit said the group's claims were not likely to succeed. Writing for the panel, Judge Raymond Gruender said Title IX does not provide a private right of action for the kind of disparate-impact claims FAU brought here. Instead, the court said, private plaintiffs may sue under Title IX only for intentional discrimination.
