ST. PAUL, Minn. — In a proactive measure, Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison launched a lawsuit on Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s administration. This legal maneuver aims to prevent similar actions against Minnesota as those directed towards Maine in the federal initiative to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
“Minnesota is initiating this legal action to prevent President Trump and his administration from intimidating vulnerable children in our state,” Ellison announced during a news conference, referencing the opening argument of the lawsuit filed against Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Last week, Bondi declared the administration’s lawsuit against Maine and indicated that Minnesota and California might soon face similar actions. This followed a tense exchange between Trump and Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mill at the White House, during which Mill warned, “We’ll see you in court.” In response, Ellison is making a strategic move to address the issue preemptively.
The federal lawsuit filed by Minnesota seeks a judicial declaration that Trump’s two executive orders and the letters sent by the Justice Department warning Minnesota of potential cuts in education funding are unconstitutional, thereby preventing their enforcement. Ellison argued that these actions infringe on the constitutional separation of powers by overstepping Congress’s legislative authority and contravene Title IX, a federal law that forbids sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities.
In Minnesota, the Minnesota Human Rights Act has safeguarded transgender rights since 1993. Furthermore, Governor Tim Walz legislated in 2023 to make the state a sanctuary for transgender children seeking gender-affirming care from other regions. In February, Ellison released a legal opinion affirming that the state’s human rights fundamentals take precedence over Trump’s sports-related executive order. According to Ellison, this guidance remains legally binding in Minnesota unless a court rules otherwise.
“President Trump’s determination to undermine trans youth and penalize our support for them is not only unlawful but also a betrayal of Minnesota’s core values,” Ellison stated. “We refuse to compromise the rights of trans children or any vulnerable group to appease a lawless administration.”
The White House and the Department of Justice have yet to respond to inquiries about the lawsuit. However, state government’s leading Republican, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, expressed support for Trump’s stance.
“It’s deeply troubling that Attorney General Ellison prefers to jeopardize federal funding and file another taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the Trump administration rather than simply uphold the integrity of girls’ sports,” Demuth remarked. “This is a misuse of taxpayer funds to push a political agenda that endangers girls and undermines the fairness of sports.”
Ellison was accompanied by parents of transgender children and human rights advocates at the news conference, including Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first openly transgender legislator. Addressing Trump and his followers, Finke emphasized the historical ubiquity of LGBTQ+ individuals.
“No legislation, policy, or hate-driven campaign will alter that. I urge you to cease trying,” Finke implored. “To those willing to listen from outside that circle, recognize this: Our only plea is to live peacefully, without fear, surrounded by love.”
Dr. Kelsey Leonardsmith, who serves transgender youth across various states at the Family Tree Clinic in Minneapolis and is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School, contended that transgender girls and women are vastly underrepresented in sports, constituting a minuscule fraction of student athletes. She refuted claims that their participation in girls’ sports yields unfair advantages or poses safety threats.
“Excluding trans girls benefits no one and severely harms those excluded,” Leonardsmith asserted. “It removes opportunities for exercise, physical health, and a sense of community. On a deeper level, it conveys to trans youth, ‘We do not accept you; you are unreal,’ a message that is potentially devastating for children.”