Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Challenging California's Transgender Athlete Policies
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department that challenged California's policies allowing transgender athletes to compete on school sports teams aligning with their gender identity. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela ruled that a recent Supreme Court decision, which permitted states to limit girls' sports to biological females, did not render more inclusive policies illegal or compel California to alter its existing regulations. The Justice Department had argued that Title IX, a 1972 federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, required sports eligibility and facilities access to be based on biological sex, not gender identity. However, Judge Valenzuela found that Title IX does not mandate such an exclusion and that the Supreme Court's ruling did not require every school to adopt the same rule. The Justice Department had threatened to cut $44.3 billion in federal funding from the California Department of Education if the stat... 
