Keith Ellison sues Trump administration over orders on transgender people

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing the administration of President Donald Trump to challenge up-to-date executive orders he says violate the civil rights of transgender children Two Trump orders one banning transgender athletes in women s and girls sports and another aimed at removing recognition of transgender people in federal framework are aimed at bullying transgender youth Ellison explained at a Tuesday news conference announcing the lawsuit Ellison took action this week amid ongoing legal threats from the federal governing body against Minnesota and other states for defying Trump s order on transgender athletes Ellison has maintained that following the order violates Minnesota s human rights law and the U S Constitution and he decided to preemptively sue as the Department of Justice continued threats to take legal action and cut off federal funding to the state I m not going to sit around waiting for the Trump administration to sue Minnesota Ellison communicated reporters at his office in the Minnesota Capitol on Tuesday One they re wrong about the law both federal and state law Two we will not let a small group of vulnerable children who are only trying to be healthy and to live their lives be demonized Title IX The Trump Administration asserts that allowing those born male who identify as female to participate in women s school sports violates Title IX a federal law banning sex discrimination in learning The president s Feb executive order on transgender athletes allows federal agencies to enforce the administration s interpretation of Title IX though various states and high school sports groups have stated they would not comply The Trump Administration sued Maine last week after the state refused to comply with the transgender athletics order U S Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to sue Minnesota in February after Ellison issued an official opinion that complying with Trump s order would violate state law He issued the opinion after the Minnesota State High School League the governing body for state school athletics had sought his advice on the matter Earlier that month the U S Department of Guidance started exploring Minnesota and California high school sports organizations because they planned to go against the federal ruling body s new approach Minnesota State High School League Athletic associations had days from the executive order to take action on transgender athletes according to the Minnesota State High School League which has commented its rules allowing transgender trainee participation as of now remain in place The Justice Department continued to push on Minnesota after the initial threats In an April letter to Ellison Assistant U S Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon demanded that Ellison clarify his legal opinion or face legal action Dhillon also threatened to withhold federal funding from the state In his lawsuit filed in Minnesota U S District Court Ellison argues Trump s executive orders violate the separation of powers in the U S Constitution by effectively legislating from the executive branch a right reserved for Congress and by violating the th Amendment limits to federal power over the states Further the lawsuit disputes the administration s interpretation of Title IX arguing it instead preserves protections for gender identity Legislative action Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth R-Cold Spring disclosed Ellison should drop the issue and called his lawsuit a waste of state guidance It s extremely disappointing that Attorney General Ellison would rather liability federal funding and file yet another taxpayer funded lawsuit against the Trump administration than only do the right thing and keep boys out of girls sports Demuth disclosed It s a waste of taxpayer money to further a political agenda that makes girls less safe and makes sports less fair The Minnesota Legislature earlier this year considered a bill to ban transgender athletes in school sports though it failed on a party-line vote in a closely divided House of Representatives The measure sponsored by Rep Peggy Scott R-Andover called for restricting participation in girls sports at the elementary and secondary school levels to biological females as determined by genetics and reproductive organs Republicans called the bill the Preserving Girls Sports Act and say it will keep a level playing field in school athletics Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers and LGBT activists called the bill a hateful attack on the rights of transgender people and a distraction from issues that affect significantly broader swaths of the citizens The MSHSL has allowed students to decide whether to participate in boys or girls sports based on their gender identity since Related Articles Will the MN Legislature pass a bonding bill this year Senate president faces scrutiny MN lawmakers say ethics rules need a look Private schools face cuts under Gov Tim Walz s proposed budget Keri Heintzeman wins Republican primary in th Senate District Audio of Keith Ellison with Feeding Our Future defendants draws Republican scrutiny