BREAKING: Judge Dismisses Gaines v. NCAA — Riley Gaines and ICONS Will Appeal
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2026ICONS Founders Urge Congress to Withdraw Support for NCAA’s Protect College Sports Act
LAS VEGAS — On Monday, a federal judge ruled that the NCAA is not subject to Title IX. This ruling means the NCAA can force as many men onto women’s teams and into women’s locker rooms as they wish.
In the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, United States District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson issued a decision holding that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is not accountable under Title IX for authorizing men to compete in women’s college sports or access women’s locker rooms.
Judge Johnson accepted the NCAA’s argument that the NCAA is not subject to Title IX and dismissed the case Gaines v. NCAA, brought by women college athletes seeking to hold the NCAA responsible for granting men access to women’s sports and private locker rooms. This decision removes all protections for women in NCAA collegiate competition across the country and underscores the vulnerability of women’s sports until court victories are secured.
All protections removed
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2 responses to “All protections removed”
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According to Politico, the judge’s reason was that the NCAA doesn’t receive federal funding, and so Title IX doesn’t apply. Which seems odd, given that all of the member colleges and universities are federally funded; surely they are subject to Title IX requirements.
Also, given that the NCAA has changed its policy and no longer allows men to compete on women’s teams, or use women’s facilities, it seems like the case would be moot (but, of course, I am no lawyer).
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I’m puzzled by the judge’s ruling too. That the NCAA doesn’t accept federal funding directly doesn’t mean that public colleges and universities don’t receive funding that is then spent on men’s and women’s athletics. So while Title IX mandates that such funding be spent fairly and not discriminate on the basis of sex as a class, that’s not all Title IX does. Title IX also mandates that there are equitable opportunities for women athletes, and allowing transgender males to compete with females does unfairly discriminate against female athletes.
So maybe the case brought was based on Title IX funding only, but that doesn’t mean that allowing transgender males to compete with females doesn’t violate Title IX. I am not a lawyer, but I don’t think this ruling is definitive with respect to the sex protections that are based on Title IX legislation.
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