A federal judge in Louisiana has temporarily halted the enforcement of a new rule by the Biden administration that aimed to protect LGBT students from discrimination based on their gender identity in schools and colleges.
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- Federal judge blocks Biden administration’s rule protecting LGBT students from discrimination in four states.
- Preliminary injunction applies to Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho, all Republican-led states.
- The judge ruled that the new rule is inconsistent with the original purpose of Title IX, which aims to protect biological females from discrimination.
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Judge Halts Biden’s LGBT Student Protections in Four States
The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, applies to four Republican-led states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho.
The rule, introduced by the U.S. Department of Education, sought to extend the protections against sex discrimination under Title IX to include LGBT students.
However, the states, as mentioned above, argued that the rule would require schools to allow transgender students access to restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identities, a move they believed would undermine the original purpose of Title IX, which was to protect biological females from discrimination.
Judge Doughty, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, agreed with the state’s argument, stating that the changes proposed in the final rule would “subvert the original purpose of Title IX.”
The ruling marks the first instance of a judge blocking the rule, which has faced challenges in nine lawsuits filed by Republican-led states and conservative activists who contend that it represents an unlawful rewrite of a law designed to protect women from discrimination in education.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, hailed the decision as a “big win for women’s rights,” asserting that it would keep young women and girls protected from dangerous situations, as Title IX has done for decades.
While reviewing the ruling, the Education Department maintains its support for the rule, emphasizing that it was crafted following a rigorous process to realize the Title IX statutory guarantee.
The department had cited a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held that a ban against sex discrimination in the workplace, as outlined in Title VII, covered gay and transgender workers.
Courts often rely on interpretations of Title VII when analyzing Title IX, as both laws prohibit discrimination based on sex.
However, Judge Doughty found the rule “inconsistent with Title IX’s text, structure, and purpose.”
He pointed out that the rule would require schools to use preferred pronouns and allow students to access bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity, an issue he believed the agency lacked the authority to address.
Furthermore, he argued that the rule violated the U.S. Constitution’s Spending Clause by containing ambiguous conditions and infringed upon other constitutional provisions, such as the First Amendment’s protections for free speech and religion.
As the legal battle over LGBT student protections continues, the implications of this ruling and the fate of the new rule remain uncertain.
The debate surrounding the interpretation and application of Title IX highlights the ongoing challenges in balancing the rights and protections of various groups within the education system.
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