Federal judge strikes down Biden administration’s Title IX rule nationwide

Higher Ed Dive

Natalie Schwartz

January 9, 2025

A federal judge on Thursday struck down the Biden administration’s Title IX rule nationwide, declaring that the regulations violated the Constitution.

The rule, released last April, offered protections for the first time for LGBTQI+ students and employees at federally funded schools and colleges, including by prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. 

But the rule quickly drew legal challenges. Courts blocked the regulations from taking effect in at least 26 states before Thursday’s decision vacated the rule altogether.

President-elect Donald Trump had also criticized the rule, vowing to end the regulations’ protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity on “day one” of his second presidential term.

The ruling resulted from a challenge brought by several states. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who was among those who challenged the rule, immediately praised the Thursday decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

“The court’s ruling is yet another repudiation of the Biden administration’s relentless push to impose a radical gender ideology through unconstitutional and illegal rulemaking,” Skrmetti said in a statement. “Because the Biden rule is vacated altogether, President Trump will be free to take a fresh look at our Title IX regulations when he returns to office next week.”

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