The Trump Administration's newly sworn-in Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has put three states including Minnesota "on notice" to comply with the federal antidiscrimination laws that require them to keep boys out of women’s sports, or face legal action. That's according to a story on FOX News.
Bondi sent letters to attorneys general in California, Maine and Minnesota Tuesday. "This Department of Justice will hold accountable states and state entities that violate federal law," Bondi wrote. "Indeed, we have already begun to do so."
The Department of Justice has already moved to sue Illinois and New York over antidiscrimination laws.
In the letter addressed to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota State High School League Executive Director Erich Martens, Bondi alleges the state if violating Title IX regulations.
"Let me be clear," it states. "Requiring girls to compete against boys in sports and athletic events violates Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1971. And under the Constitution, federal law - including Title IX - is 'the supreme Law of the Land.' It therefore does not matter if Minnesota state law allows, or even requires, state athletic events."
"My response is we're gonna stand up for Minnesota law," Ellison told WCCO Radio Wednesday morning. "The Washington action is nothing but a cover for bigotry against a discrete, minority group, and this has been an obsession from the Trump administration, attacking a very small minority based on their bigoted hatred of this group. And and we're talking about the trans community. So, we're going to stand up for Minnesota law."
Banning trans women from sports is explicitly illegal under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which protects transgender individuals from discrimination. Both Maine and California have similar statutes.
Ellison made the statement that Minnesota would continue to allow trans athletes to compete in girl's sports after the Minnesota State High School League requested a formal opinion from his office. That came following the Trump administration's investigation into the high school league with threats they would pull federal funding.
Bondi stated in the letter the Justice Department only wants states and state entities to "comply with the law," and told FOX that "this Department of Justice will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law."
"I knew that they would be sending out something," Ellison says. "I anticipate that they will take whatever action they want to take, but we'll be prepared to meet them in court."
A week ago, President Donald Trump sparred with Maine’s Democratic governor during a meeting of governors at the White House on Friday, with Gov. Janet Mills telling the Republican president, “We’ll see you in court,” over his push to deny federal funding to the state over transgender athletes.
Trump told the governor he looked forward to it and predicted the end of her political career for opposing his order. Later Friday, the U.S. Department of Education said it was initiating an investigation into the Maine Department of Education over the inclusion of transgender athletes.
"Minnesota should be on notice," the letter ends. "The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has begun a Title IX investigation into the Minnesota State High School League. If the Department of Education's investigation shows that relevant Minnesota entities are indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law. I hope that it does not come to this."
Ellison notes that the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution gives states great power to defend themselves against the federal government and that he intends to stand by Minnesota's laws.
"Remember, the states existed before the federal government," he says. "So the bottom line is we are sovereign, we have authority, we have rights, and we are going to assert them. So what can we do? We'll meet him in court."