A Trump-appointed federal judge in Kansas on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s Title IX expansion for LGBT students in another four states.
The Biden administration altered the original Title IX statute to implement federal protections against discrimination for LGBT students based on “gender identity,” which is set to take effect Aug. 1, 2024. U.S. District Court Judge John Broomes issued the preliminary injunction blocking the rewrite in Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming following a suit by Moms for Liberty and Young America’s Foundation, according to court documents.
Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) and Southeastern Legal Foundation are representing Moms for Liberty and Young America’s Foundation in the suit, and they are joined as plaintiffs by the four states where the rewrite was blocked, according to a press release. The plaintiffs emphasized the rewrite’s negative effects on free speech, with the judge agreeing that the Education Department was attempting to constrain the students’ First Amendment rights.
“The [Department of Education]’s reinterpretation of Title IX to place gender identity on equal footing with (or in some instances arguably stronger footing than) biological sex would subvert Congress’ goals of protecting biological women in education,” Broomes stated in the ruling.
The order also blocks the rule in every state for each school attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation and the children of Moms for Liberty members, the press release states. (RELATED: ‘Respect Our Dignity’: Female Athletes Take Aim At Biden Admin Over Looming Title IX Changes)
“Gender ideology does not belong in public schools and we are glad the courts made the correct call to support parental rights,” Moms for Liberty co-founders Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich said in the press release. “We will always stand up for the rights of parents and the protection of children. All parents must have their voices heard and their right to raise their own children is part of the very fabric of a free America. The federal government has no right to claim our children as their own or to push parents out of the classroom.”
“We are reviewing this recent ruling that impacted an additional four states. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in a federally-funded educational environment,” an Education Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Department crafted the final Title IX regulations following a rigorous process to realize the non-discrimination mandate of Title IX. The Department stands by the final Title IX regulations released in April 2024, and we will continue to fight for every student.”
The changes to Title IX have already been blocked in several other states, including by Bush-appointed Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas. Trump-appointed Judge Terry Doughty also blocked the rewrite in Louisiana with Mississippi, Montana and Idaho joining the initial lawsuit.
Another Bush-appointed judge, Danny Reeves, blocked the rule in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia in June.
