State of Tennessee v. United States Department of Education

The Association of Christian Schools International and a female athlete in Arkansas are asking a federal district court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit that challenges the Biden administration’s reinterpretation of federal law that allows males to compete on female athletic teams. Twenty state attorneys general, led by the state of Tennessee, are challenging a guidance document issued by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that interprets Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits “discrimination on the basis of sex,” to bar discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Among other things, this would require that schools subject to Title IX allow males who identify as female to participate on female athletic teams and use female-designated showers and locker rooms.

Case Timeline

• August 2021: Tennessee and 19 other states filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s guidance documents that redefined “sex” in Title IX.
• July 2022: A federal district court ruled to temporarily block the guidance documents in the 20 states that filed the lawsuit.
• September 2022: The district court allowed ADF to intervene in the case on behalf of Amelia Ford and ACSI.
• June 2024: The 6th Circuit upheld the district court’s decision.