Cal State sues Trump administration over Title IX funding threats
Laura Spitalniak
March 10, 2026
One of the public system’s campuses, San José State University, is facing a loss of federal funding over its transgender student-athlete policies.
Dive Brief:
The California State University system sued the Trump administration Friday in response to its threats to pull San José State University’s federal funding over the public institution’s transgender student-athlete policies.
In January, the U.S. Department of Education said San José State violated Title IX civil rights law when it allowed a transgender woman to play on its volleyball team from 2022 to 2024. The agency said the public university must agree to its sweeping settlement terms or risk losing its federal funding.
Cal State rebuked the agency’s findings and proposed Title IX settlement on Friday, calling the efforts an example of “lawless overreach.” The Education Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
