President Trump’s Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the state of California, accusing its leadership of violating Title IX civil rights laws by allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports, a follow-up to a similar lawsuit filed against the state of Maine earlier in 2025.
For background, on July 9, 2025, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation over a policy that allows students in the state’s schools to participate in sports “in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity.”
In its complaint, the Department of Justice wrote that California is “harming girls by denying girls the opportunity to compete in student sports on a level playing field in which they have the same opportunities as boys,” Moreover, the complaint continued, “The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition.”
In addition, the DOJ quoted California Governor Gavin Newsom, who said it was “‘deeply unfair’ for girls to compete against boys.”Furthermore, the Justice Department called the policy “discrimination,” adding that it is “illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys.”
The DOJ also argued that “inherent physiological differences between the two sexes” make them “not similarly situated in athletics,” noting that these differences exist “regardless of a person’s subjective ‘gender identity.'”
The complaint added, “Because of these physiological differences, providing athletic teams, competitions, events, and intimate spaces for girls has long ensured that female student athletes are afforded an equal, and equally safe, opportunity to participate and effectively compete, and thereby to enjoy the same educational benefits from sports as boys.”
Furthermore, the complaint said that by denying sex-seperated “intimate facilities” to students, the state of California “substantially increase[s] the risk of sexual harassment, assault, and voyeurism in girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms.” Building on the statements in the complaint, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon said, “The Justice Department will not stand for policies that deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety on the field and in private spaces.”
Importantly, the lawsuit against the state of California followed threats made by President Trump to withhold funding from the state in a May 27, 2025, Truth Social post, in which the president said, “California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.'” He added, “Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.”
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