Federal Judge Rules In Favor Of Public Schools In 16 States That Refused To Comply With Trump's Trans Ban

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken announced during a conference call between state attorneys and federal officials that she intends to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the policy, denouncing what she described as “a sort of separate-but-equal policy” on sex education. The coalition of 16 states argued that the Trump administration’s new directive violated the Administrative Procedure Act, was arbitrary and capricious, and infringed upon the Constitution’s separation of powers. While the specific grounds for Judge Aiken’s forthcoming injunction are not yet known as the order has not been released publicly as of yet, her decision represents a major setback for the administration—one that will, at least for now, halt some of its efforts to weaponize federal funding against schools that teach about gender identity or include transgender students in their curricula.