Court Stops Biden's Attempt To Change Title IX Rules in Virginia, Other States

A Kentucky district court has issued a preliminary injunction against the Biden Administration’s recent rewrite of Title IX. The ruling will prevent the U.S. Department of Education "from implementing, enacting, enforcing, or taking any action" to enforce the new regulations in six states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia.

In April, Joe Biden made sweeping changes to Title IX that altered the definition of sex to be defined as a person's gender identity — therefore allowing trans-identifying males to participate in women's sports and to enter single-sex spaces like restrooms and locker rooms. 

Since then, 26 Republican-led states have joined forces to fight against the new rules, which they argue would be a giant step backward for girls and women.

"The Biden Administration’s latest power grab would jeopardize half a century of landmark protections for women, violate the First Amendment, and ignore the clear text of the Title IX law passed by Congress," Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wrote on X. "The rule should have never been issued in the first place."

RELATED: Illinois Congresswoman Introduces Legislation To Stop Biden Title IX Re-Write

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin added: "Virginians saw the rewriting of Title IX for what it was — an attempt to leverage federal tax dollars to impose a harmful agenda on parents and families. I applaud @JasonMiyaresVA for leading the charge and confronting the Biden administration’s obvious executive overreach."

More States Taking Action Against Biden's Title IX Rewrite

This injunction is the second one issued against the Biden Administration's new rules in the past week. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty blocked the Title IX expansion in four states, calling the mandatory gender identity protection an "abuse of power."

"This case demonstrates the abuse of power by executive federal agencies in the rulemaking process," Doughty said in his ruling. "The separation of powers and system of checks and balances exist in this country for a reason."

Biden's rewrite of Title IX would allow protection based on gender identity, not biological sex.

(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The ruling blocks implementation of the changes in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho.

"Title IX was enacted for the protection of the discrimination of biological females. However, the Final Rule may likely cause biological females more discrimination than they had before Title IX was enacted," he wrote. "By allowing biological men who identify as a female into locker rooms, showers, and bathrooms, biological females risk invasion of privacy, embarrassment, and sexual assault."

The administration had ordered that the regulations take effect Aug. 1, just before the start of the 2024-25 school year. These rulings, though, put that timeline in jeopardy.

Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast "Gaines for Girls" and one of the most influential pro-woman voices in the country, called the court's move a "huge win."

"I don't think we would have seen this kind of decisive action two years ago. The gender ideology house of cards is crumbling. And it's crumbling fast," Gaines said. "I hope every generation following mine has the same opportunity to compete and succeed that I was fortunate to have for most of my athletic career. But if it's up to Biden and the progressive democrats, they won't."