Judge throws out Riley Gaines' lawsuit against NCAA over one small but essential facthttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/09/judge-throws-out-riley-gaines-against-ncaa-over-one-small-but-essential-fact/ 🔗Faefyx Collington (30 Sep 2026)
A United States District Court Judge has thrown out anti-trans advocate Riley Gaines' Title IX lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), citing a lack of evidence that the NCAA should be subject to Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in all educational institutions that receive federal funding. While that means the last part of Gaines' case is now dismissed, she plans to appeal.
"The National Collegiate Athletic Association filed a motion for summary judgment as to Plaintiffs' remaining Title IX claims," District Court Judge Tiffany Johnson writes in her decision. "The NCAA argues it is not covered by Title IX's restrictions because, despite its collaboration with the United States Department of Defense, it did not receive money from the federal government. After a review of the record, the Court agrees."
Funded by the Independent Council on Women's Sports, Riley Gaines and fifteen other women brought the original case in 2024. The plaintiffs claimed that the NCAA's inclusive policy for trans women, which allowed Lia Thomas to compete in the 2022 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, left them at a disadvantage (despite studies that suggest trans women have no such advantage) and that their privacy was violated by sharing a locker room with a trans woman.
Last year, Judge Johnson dismissed all claims in the lawsuit except the Title IX complaint. She said at the time that constitutional grounds weren't valid as the NCAA is not a state actor. ------------------------
@Sarah B
