CALIFORNIA (FOX26) — The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has filed a lawsuit to enforce Title IX, aiming to protect female student athletes in California from what it describes as unfair competition and reckless endangerment due to male participation on female high school sports teams.

The complaint alleges that the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) have engaged in illegal sex discrimination by allowing males to compete against female athletes.

This, the suit claims, deprives female students of the equal education and athletic opportunities guaranteed by federal civil rights law.

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Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the gravity of the situation.

The Governor of California has previously admitted that it is ‘deeply unfair’ to force women and girls to compete with men and boys in competitive sports. But not only is it ‘deeply unfair,’ it is also illegal under federal law. This Department of Justice will continue its fight to protect equal opportunities for women and girls in sports.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon highlighted the historical context of the issue.

Title IX was enacted over half a century ago to protect women and girls from discrimination. The Justice Department will not stand for policies that deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety on the field and in private spaces.

United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California added:

California is on the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of history. Women deserve dignity, respect, and an equal opportunity to compete on their own sports teams. The time for talk is over. California must comply with Title IX and end its civil rights violations against women. No person, no state, is above the law.

The complaint also alleges, “current allocation of funds to CDE for fiscal year 2025 totals approximately $44.3 billion, of which approximately $3.8 billion remains available for drawdown by CDE, including both discretionary grants and formula grants.”

The lawsuit seeks declaratory, injunctive, and damages relief for violations of Title IX.

FOX26 reached out to CIF, which gave the following statement:

While the CIF has been notified of the investigation, we do not comment on pending investigations.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement on X to point out that he was not named in the lawsuit.

No court has adopted the interpretation of Title IX that is being advanced by the Trump Admin, and neither the Governor, nor they, get to wave a magic wand and override it — unlike Donald Trump, California follows the law, not personal opinions.

The office of Governor Gavin Newsom also sent a statement to FOX26, adding the following:

Re: lawsuit

The Governor is not a named party in this lawsuit and we would direct you to the California Department of Education (CDE) and CIF — both of which are independent from the Governor’s administration. CDE and the CIF are following existing state law — a law that was passed in 2013, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, and in line with 21 other states.

re: the Governor’s personal opinion

CIF and the CDE are following existing state law — a law that was passed in 2013 and signed by Governor Jerry Brown and in line with 21 other states. NO COURT HAS ADOPTED THE INTERPRETATION OF TITLE IX ADVANCED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND NEITHER the Governor, nor THEY, get to wave a magic wand and override it –– unlike Donald Trump, California follows the law.

At a time when the Trump administration is withholding billions in funds for education, this ongoing attack is a cynical attempt to distract from the Trump administration’s defunding of nearly 3 million girls enrolled in California’s public school.