On April 22, 2025, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed suit against Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to block them from unlawfully using Trump’s discriminatory executive order along with Title IX to block congressionally allocated funding to Minnesota.

Contrary to both law and science, President Trump issued numerous executive orders that turned the protections of Title IX on their head, suggesting that the federal law that protects students against discrimination on the basis of sex actually requires discrimination against transgender persons. On that basis, the U.S. Department of Education announced an investigation of the Minnesota State High School League over its policy to allow students to play on sports teams according to their gender identity. Subsequently, the Department of Justice threatened to cut federal funding to certain Minnesota secondary schools and universities if the state continued to refuse to discriminate against transgender girls in sports.

Both Minnesota’s state constitution and numerous statutes require the state to protect the rights of its transgender citizens, including the right of transgender girls and women to play in girls’ and women’s sports. These anti-discrimination policies have been reaffirmed in both state and federal courts, as well as Title IX’s protections for transgender individuals.

Minnesota sued the Trump administration for violating constitutional separation of powers, as well as numerous provisions of Title IX. Minnesota requested that the court issue a declaratory judgement and a permanent injunction prohibiting the federal government from enforcing the executive orders as well as cutting funding, as threatened in letters from the Department of Justice.

Trump’s unconscionable attack on this small number of vulnerable children is bullying, plain and simple. His burning desire to destroy trans kids and punish us for helping them live and thrive isn’t just a violation of the law — it’s a violation of Minnesota values. I’ve been around my share of bullies in my life, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you don’t give bullies an inch. We’re not going to cave at the expense of trans kids — or any vulnerable community that needs our compassion and protection. Attorney General Keith Ellison