Significant Title IX changes are now on hold in 10 states, including Idaho.
A federal judge in Louisiana issued a temporary restraining order late Thursday. The ruling blocks the Biden administration's proposal to extend Title IX, the landmark 1972 federal education law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. The administration's amendment also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The new policy is scheduled to take effect on August 1. But now it's almost certain that won't happen in the four states where orders were issued Thursday: Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana. The second injunction, announced Monday, applies to six additional states.
Thursday's injunction marks the first court response to growing red-state backlash against Title IX rules. The injunction represents a “tremendous victory,” Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador said Friday.
“A new definition of discrimination that includes gender identity will have a significant impact on the progress Title IX has made for girls and women in our society,” Labrador said. “With one single action, the Biden administration has threatened decades of progress and opportunity for women and jeopardized women’s safety and access within our education system.”
The Biden administration's rule, announced April 19, drew almost immediate criticism from Republican state officials across the country. According to Education Week, seven lawsuits have been filed opposing the rule. Together, these cases cover 26 states.
The Idaho case was heard before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who was appointed by former President Trump.
Doughty's ruling does not strike down the new Title IX policy. But in his 40-page ruling, Doughty said he believed the four states had a good chance of winning their lawsuits against the federal government.
“This case illustrates the abuse of power by federal executive branch agencies in the rulemaking process,” Doughty wrote. “The abuse of power by administrative agencies is a threat to democracy.”
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves in Kentucky also put the new policy on hold. The ruling affects Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.