A district judge granted a partial preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. He joined with seven other attorneys general, including Missouri AG Andrew Bailey, to bring a suit stopping expansions to Title IX. The group disagreed with a Biden administration plan to broaden Title IX to include gender identity.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law passed in 1972, and protects women from discrimination educational settings. In April, the Biden Administration made lengthy additions to Title IX. This included adding “gender identity.” This could mean that a student is allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity or that a teacher could be required to honor a student's preferred pronouns.
In May, the suit against the expansion was filed. The suit said the legal changes were arbitrary and constituted an illegal overreach. The expansion does not apply to transgender athletes, but an Arkansas high school athlete joined the suit. In court documents, she is only known as A.F.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel agreed with Griffin, saying the new rules could violate the Constitution. He referenced the athlete in his ruling.
“Further, A.F. has shown irreparable harm, not only with respect to her sense of personal privacy, but also with respect to the potential violation of her First Amendment rights.”
In a statement, Griffin said he is excited about the decision.
“Today’s ruling is a victory for women and girls in Arkansas and across the nation,” he said. “As yet again a federal court has stopped the Biden-Harris administration from going around Congress to implement a ridiculous, nonsensical, and illegal election-year move.”
