Justice Department sues Minnesota over transgender athlete policies

Sarah Nelson, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Mar 30, 2026

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The battle between Minnesota and the Trump administration over the state’s policies allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports and use locker rooms according to their gender identity has landed in federal court.

The Trump administration on Monday, March 30, sued Minnesota’s Department of Education and its State High School League, alleging their policies violate Title IX. That federal civil rights law prohibits sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funds by creating “unfair competition,” denying equal athletic opportunities and creating a “hostile educational environment.”

“We will not allow girls to be denied equal opportunity and basic privacy,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “Title IX is clear: schools that accept federal funding must protect the rights, safety, and dignity of female students.”

The suit alleges Minnesota’s Department of Education receives just short of $3 billion annually from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The move comes after months of back-and-forth between Minnesota and the Trump administration, which is pushing to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. Similar lawsuits were filed last year against Maine and California.

Minnesota officials filed a preemptive lawsuit last April against the administration alleging the state’s policies supersede President Donald Trump’s executive orders defining two sexes — male and female. The lawsuit remains pending a ruling on the U.S. government’s motion to dismiss the case.

Last September, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Human Services put the state on notice that the policies violate Title IX. The federal government said they could not come to a voluntary resolution agreement with the state.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement in response to the lawsuit that it’s “astonishing that any president would try to target, shame, and harass children just trying to be themselves, let alone a president with so many actual problems to address.”

The Minnesota Department of Education said it is “reviewing the filing and remains committed to ensuring every child — regardless of background, zip code, or ability — has access to a world-class education and every opportunity to thrive as their authentic self in safe, supportive school communities."

The Minnesota State High School League declined to comment on the pending suit.

The federal government is seeking the court to declare Minnesota in violation of Title IX and issue a permanent block on transgender athletes from female sports competition. The Justice Department is also seeking compensation for female athletes who they say have been denied equal athletic opportunities due to the policies, including correcting past athletic records.