A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s challenge to California’s policy allowing transgender youth to compete on teams matching their gender, ending the case against the state. Guardian US news reported that the decision represents a setback for Donald Trump and the DoJ, which had sought to require California to exclude trans girls from girls’ sports. A DoJ spokesperson said Tuesday that the department was considering whether to appeal and expressed disappointment with the court’s order.
On Monday, Cynthia Valenzuela issued a final order terminating the lawsuit after finding that the federal government had not clearly told California that continued access to funding depended on barring trans girls from sports. The judge also noted that federal guidance on the issue had changed repeatedly over the last decade, and said Trump’s executive order did not provide the required notice. The case followed a 2025 lawsuit alleging that California’s trans-inclusive sports rules violated Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in schools.
The DoJ argued that schools receiving federal money could be required to prevent trans girls from joining girls’ teams. California has permitted trans girls to play on girls’ school teams since 2013, and more than 20 states have adopted similar laws, according to the source report. The policy had generated little controversy for years before attacks on transgender people became a prominent issue for Republicans and anti-LGBTQ+ groups in recent election campaigns.
California officials estimated that fewer than 10 trans student-athletes were participating in sports among nearly 6 million K-12 public-school students in the state. The report said the youth involved in the case and other trans students nevertheless described serious consequences from the policy fight, including harassment at games and death threats. The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees school sports and was sued by the DoJ, declined to comment.
Rainbow Families Action, which supports trans youth in California, welcomed the decision, saying, “This lifts a significant shadow that has been hanging over the joyous and expanding success story of girls’ and women’s sports in California.” The group said the ruling signaled that schools must continue permitting trans youth to play on teams matching their gender, while also describing pressure on districts to adopt policies contrary to California law.
The ruling came after the supreme court upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho barring trans girls from girls’ teams, but the judge said that decision was limited and did not establish a nationwide ban. Trevor Norcross, the father of a trans youth athlete targeted by the lawsuit, said he hoped the California decision would help athletes elsewhere while warning that challenges in other states remain.