Minnesota Sues Trump Admin Over Trans Athletes in Girls' Sports, White House Fires Back

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration and the Department of Justice, aiming to keep the door open for transgender athletes—specifically, biologically male students who identify as female—to participate in girls' sports teams statewide.

The White House made its stance crystal clear, sharply criticizing Ellison’s move and calling it, in the words of spokesperson Harrison Fields, "creepy and anti-woman." That’s one way to turn up the rhetorical temperature before the courts even get involved.

At a press conference, Ellison explained he was taking the offensive after months of pushback against Trump’s "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. He said he’d received warnings from the Department of Justice about possible legal action if the state didn’t fall in line. Not one to wait for the first blow, Ellison declared, "I'm not going to sit around waiting for the Trump administration to sue Minnesota. Today, Minnesota is suing him and his administration because we will not participate in this shameful bullying." He argued that vulnerable children shouldn’t be targeted for just wanting to play sports and live as themselves.

The lawsuit, filed in Minneapolis federal court, claims the Trump administration overstepped its authority by using an executive order to dictate how states set gender eligibility for athletes. Minnesota now holds the distinction of being the first state to sue the DOJ over threats to yank funding tied to trans athlete policies—and the second to sue the Trump administration directly on this front.

This isn’t just a one-state showdown. Maine also sued after the Department of Agriculture froze its funding over similar issues, with a federal judge already ordering that money unfrozen. Meanwhile, the DOJ has its own lawsuit against Maine, and Attorney General Pam Bondi recently put Minnesota and California on notice that they could be next in the legal crosshairs.

Defying federal pressure, the Minnesota State High School League said it would allow transgender athletes to participate in girls' sports, citing state laws that protect participation based on gender identity.

Earlier attempts to pass legislation limiting girls’ sports to biological females failed in the Minnesota legislature by just one vote. Governor Tim Walz, who likely would have vetoed the bill, faced vocal criticism from former NFL player Jack Brewer, who called Walz’s stance "disgusting" and questioned his football credentials. Might be the first time school sports politics have been compared to gridiron toughness.

Public opinion appears mostly skeptical of trans athletes competing in women’s sports. A New York Times/Ipsos poll found 79% of respondents—across the political spectrum—opposed to allowing biological males who identify as women into women’s competitions. Even among Democrats and Democrat-leaners, 67% expressed opposition.