U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi attends a press conference, as she unveils actions against the state of Maine, which is locked in a dispute with the Trump administration over transgender policy, at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
The Justice Department on Wednesday said that it was investigating whether a California law allowing trans athletes on female sports teams at state schools violates federal civil rights law.
The department disclosed the investigation to California’s attorney general and other officials a day after President Donald Trump threatened to revoke large-scale federal funding from the state if it ignored his executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
“The investigation is to determine whether California, its senior legal, educational, and athletic organizations, and the school district are engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement.
At the same time, the Justice Department said it had filed a statement of interest in a federal court lawsuit filed on behalf of girls’ athletes that argues trans athletes should be barred from competing with them under federal laws.
“The statement of interest is part of a national effort by the President, the Attorney General, and the Justice Department to oppose the deprivation of women and girls of fair athletic opportunities,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
At issue in the probe is the question of whether California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, the state law also known as AB 1266, conflicts with Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination in schools or educational programs that receive funding from the U.S. government.
AB 1266 allows students to participate in school programs and athletic events consistent with their gender identity.
“Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education. It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies,” said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, in a statement.
“This Division will aggressively defend women’s hard-fought rights to equal educational opportunities.”
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