Injunction secured to protect 15 year old female track and field star
In a significant legal development, a Kentucky district court has issued an injunction to halt the Biden administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX. This ruling comes amidst ongoing litigation in the case of State of Tennessee v. Cardona. The decision marks the second successful injunction secured by attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) against the administration’s revised Title IX rules.
On Thursday, a federal district court in Louisiana had previously issued a preliminary injunction in a similar case, Rapides Parish School Board v. United States Department of Education. This earlier ruling affects the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho. The recent injunction from the Kentucky district court extends its reach to Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Radical redefinition attempt
“The Biden administration’s radical redefinition of ‘sex’ will upend the equal opportunities that women and girls have enjoyed for 50 years under Title IX and will threaten their safety and privacy at every level,” stated ADF Senior Counsel Hal Frampton, who argued before the Kentucky court. “The court was right to halt the administration’s illegal efforts to rewrite Title IX while this critical lawsuit continues. Our female athlete client has already suffered the humiliation and indignity of being harassed by a male student in the locker room and on her sports team. No one else should have to go through that. We are pleased the court ruled to uphold safety and privacy while this lawsuit continues.”
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Biological differences of the sexes
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky highlighted in its decision, “Despite society’s enduring recognition of biological differences between the sexes, as well as an individual’s basic right to bodily privacy, the Final Rule mandates that schools permit biological men into women’s intimate spaces, and women into men’s, within the educational environment based entirely on a person’s subjective gender identity. This result is not only impossible to square with Title IX but with the broader guarantee of education protection for all students.”
In this case, ADF attorneys represent a 15-year-old female athlete from West Virginia and the Christian Educators Association International. The young athlete, who competes in track and field, was forced to compete against a male athlete during middle school, resulting in her displacement from key competitions, including a conference championship. Additionally, she endured inappropriate and vulgar comments from the male athlete who had access to the girls’ locker room.
ADF attorneys also emphasized that Tennessee and Kentucky have existing laws designed to protect the privacy and free speech of teachers who are members of the Christian Educators Association International and teach in schools governed by Title IX. These state protections would be nullified under the administration’s new Title IX rules.
As the lawsuit progresses, the courts’ rulings underscore the contentious nature of the Biden administration’s attempts to redefine Title IX and the ongoing legal battles to preserve the original intent of the federal law designed to ensure equal opportunities in education.
