Federal Judge Invalidates Biden-Era Title IX Gender Identity Protections Across 15 States

A federal judge ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority by redefining sex discrimination under Title IX to include gender identity, striking down a 2024 Department of Health and Human Services rule that expanded anti-discrimination protections to transgender healthcare. The ruling, delivered by Judge Louis Guirola Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, came after a coalition of 15 Republican-led states sued over the issue, arguing the rule unlawfully intruded into state authority over healthcare and Medicaid programs. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti praised the decision for restoring constitutional limits on federal overreach and protecting healthcare providers' rights to make decisions based on evidence and conscience. The court found that Congress originally intended Title IX protections to apply only to biological sex, not gender identity, and vacated the rule nationwide. This ruling prevents healthcare facilities from being required to provide gender-affirming care or maintain sex-integrated spaces under federal mandates tied to Medicaid and Medicare funding. The decision marks a significant legal setback for efforts to federally mandate transgender healthcare protections through Title IX and the Affordable Care Act's Section 1557 provisions.