California Risks Federal Actions Over Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports

The U.S. Education Department, which ruled that California is in violation of Title IX, outlined a series of changes the state must adopt within 10 days.

Then-nominee for the post of secretary of education, Linda McMahon, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Education has found California in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws for allowing male athletes to compete in women’s sports.

The finding on June 25 follows investigations launched earlier in 2025 into both the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which is the state’s governing body for high school sports, and the California Department of Education.