The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into California’s high school sports policies, specifically targeting trans athletes competing in girls’ sports. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ are examining whether the state has violated Title IX by allowing trans athletes to participate since 2014. The investigation includes California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the CIF, with a focus on potential funding losses and Title IX compliance.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education, and that allowing males to compete against girls is ‘perverse.’ The DOJ’s involvement marks a significant escalation in the ongoing debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports, with Trump’s administration actively monitoring the situation and threatening funding cuts to states that allow such participation.
This follows a lawsuit by the families of two girls’ high school athletes, who claimed their cross-country team dropped one of their members for a trans athlete and that school administrators compared their ‘Save Girls Sports’ t-shirts to swastikas. The families argue that the policies are discriminatory and undermine the rights of girls’ sports teams. This case, along with others in Maine, has prompted the DOJ to take action, with Bondi previously suing Maine over similar issues.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has made a slight rule change for this weekend’s championship, allowing biologically female athletes who fell just shy of qualifying for the title behind a trans athlete a chance to compete, in response to the federal pressure. Governor Newsom’s office has supported the CIF’s decision, although it remains a contentious issue with ongoing legal and political ramifications.
Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), where Jurupa Valley High School is based, was included in the DOJ’s list of recipients of a letter informing of the incoming investigation, although the school district claims it has not received any letter of complaint. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has responded to the investigation in a statement, reaffirming the state’s commitment to upholding laws that protect the rights of transgender students.
Trump’s Department of Justice has already shown itself willing to sue a state for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports. Bondi announced a lawsuit against Maine on April 16 after weeks of warnings and tension, which included multiple federal funding pauses and a public spat between Trump and Governor Janet Mills. This case is now being cited in the federal investigation into California’s policies, with the potential for similar outcomes.
The situation in California mirrors the one in Maine, where a trans athlete won a girls’ pole vault competition after previously competing in the boys’ category. Now, California faces a potential similar outcome in its state track and field championship, with AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School dominating the girls’ postseason so far. Trump’s Department of Education previously sent a warning to California, prompting the CIF to make a rule change for the upcoming state title meet.
The broader implications of this case extend beyond sports, touching on legal, political, and social debates about transgender rights, educational funding, and the intersection of policy with public sentiment. As the investigation unfolds, it remains to be seen whether the DOJ’s actions will lead to significant policy changes or reinforce existing state laws on transgender athlete participation in girls’ sports.