Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has secured a landmark nationwide victory against the Biden Administration’s controversial Title IX rules, marking a significant win for states’ rights and the protection of children’s privacy.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled that the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX policies—rules that would have required schools to allow access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity and mandated the use of preferred pronouns inconsistent with biological sex—exceeded federal authority and violated the Constitution.
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The court’s opinion, issued on January 9, 2025, builds on its prior rulings that had temporarily stayed the rules from going into effect in August 2024. In its decision, the court determined that:
- The Department of Education overstepped its authority by attempting to rewrite Title IX without congressional approval.
- The regulations violated constitutional protections, including state sovereignty and due process rights.
- The agency acted arbitrarily and capriciously, failing to provide adequate justification for its sweeping changes.
“The Department’s actions reflect an attempt to bypass the legislative process and fundamentally transform Title IX,” the court wrote in its ruling.
The court’s decision not only builds on its June 2024 preliminary injunction against the rules in Tennessee and coalition states but goes further by vacating the Biden Administration’s Title IX policies nationwide. This ruling effectively nullifies the controversial regulations and restores protections for privacy in schools across the country.
“This is a huge win for Tennessee, for common sense, and for women and girls across America,” said Attorney General Skrmetti. “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.”
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The court’s order safeguards the rights of students and schools by:
- Restoring privacy protections in bathrooms and locker rooms.
- Removing federal mandates requiring educators to use pronouns contrary to students’ biological sex.
- Limiting federal overreach, ensuring that states retain control over sensitive educational and cultural policies.
“This ruling underscores that federal agencies cannot bypass the Constitution to push ideological agendas,” Skrmetti added. “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.”
The decision represents a significant check on executive overreach and affirms the rights of states to manage education without undue federal interference. It also sends a powerful message about the role of the courts in upholding constitutional principles against politically driven mandates.
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