DOJ Civil Rights Division Announces Title IX Deadline for California on Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports

The Department of Justice has taken a decisive step in the ongoing national debate over transgender athletes' participation in girls' high school sports, issuing a mandate to California's public high schools to certify, in writing, that they do not allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’ teams. Schools have been given a deadline of June 9 to provide their assurances, or risk facing federal scrutiny and potential legal action. This move escalates a federal inquiry into California’s compliance with Title IX, the landmark law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational settings.

The DOJ’s directive comes via a letter from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who emphasized that any action depriving female students of equal athletic opportunities on the basis of sex constitutes a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. The letter asserts that adherence to the California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) current policy—which permits student-athletes to participate according to their gender identity—would place schools at odds with federal law as now interpreted and enforced.

CIF’s existing bylaw requires member schools to recognize a student’s affirmed gender identity, stating all students should be able to participate “in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records.” This longstanding policy reflects the state’s efforts to foster inclusion for transgender youth, but it now faces direct opposition from federal authorities, creating a significant conflict for school administrators caught between state rules and federal demands.

Dhillon framed the certification requirement as a safeguard, insisting it would “ensure compliance with Title IX” and help school districts “avoid legal liability.” However, with CIF continuing to govern all high school sports—including public and private institutions—schools are now placed in a precarious position, potentially forced to choose between state athletic participation and federal funding.

This latest development builds on a series of increasingly assertive actions from Donald Trump’s administration, which has reversed prior federal guidance issued under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. While Obama first advised schools to allow transgender students to participate based on their gender identity, and Biden pushed to formalize protections through regulatory changes, those efforts were stymied in part by litigation and executive actions from Trump and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The current DOJ is aggressively enforcing what it describes as the “biological reality of sex,” advancing rules and opening investigations in states that diverge from this interpretation.

The controversy is not limited to California. The DOJ has also filed suit against the state of Maine, challenging its education department and highlighting specific incidents such as a transgender athlete winning a girls’ pole-vaulting event. Such federal interventions have prompted pushback from Democratic governors, including Maine’s Janet Mills, who has downplayed the prevalence and impact of transgender athletes in her state. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom’s response has been more nuanced; while expressing some openness to the notion that transgender participation can be perceived as unfair, he has supported pilot initiatives to ensure that cisgender female athletes displaced by transgender competitors receive additional opportunities to compete at the state level.

As the June 9 deadline approaches, uncertainty looms over California’s public schools, which now face conflicting directives from state and federal authorities. The outcome could set a new precedent for how Title IX is interpreted nationally and determine the future landscape of high school athletics—not only for California, but for other states grappling with similar issues. With the Biden-era Title IX changes stalled by court orders and Trump’s administration moving quickly to enforce its own policies, the coming weeks may prove pivotal for both education officials and student-athletes across the country.