California judge tosses Trump DOJ lawsuit, letting schools keep allowing biological males on girls teams

The Trump administration’s fight to keep biological males out of girls’ sports suffered a California court setback Monday — but the Justice Department is gearing up for the next round.US District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela, a Democrat, dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit challenging California’s policy allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ school teams, leaving the state’s controversial rules in place.The ruling, however, was not a finding that California’s policy is required by Title IX.Instead, Valenzuela dismissed the case after determining that the federal government had not adequately notified California that its federal funding could be jeopardized if schools continued allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ teams.For the Trump administration, that leaves the central battle over girls’ sports unresolved.The DOJ said Tuesday it is considering an appeal.“We are disappointed by the Court’s order and remain committed to enforcing President Trump’s agenda of preventing boys from playing in girls’ sports.”A department spokesperson said the DOJ is “evaluating our options for appeal.”The DOJ lawsuit was spearheaded by two longtime critics of the state’s transgender-student policies: Harmeet Dhillon, the Trump administration’s Civil Rights Division chief, and Bill Essayli, who is currently leading the US attorney’s office in Los Angeles.California has allowed transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity since 2013 under AB 1266.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Republican lawmakers, the Alliance Defending Freedom, Concerned Women for America and other conservative advocates argue that allowing transgender girls to compete against biological females undermines the p...