Riley Gaines' lawsuit vs NCAA dismissed by Biden-appointed judge, appeal planned

Key Points:

• A federal judge dismissed Riley Gaines’ Title IX lawsuit against the NCAA, ruling the NCAA is not a recipient of federal financial assistance and thus not subject to Title IX, but Gaines and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) plan to appeal.
• The lawsuit, filed in March 2024 by Gaines and other female athletes, alleged the NCAA violated Title IX by allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports and use women’s locker rooms, focusing on the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championships involving transgender athlete Lia Thomas.
• Judge Tiffany R. Johnson found no evidence the NCAA received federal funds directly or indirectly, a key requirement for Title IX claims, and rejected arguments that the NCAA controlled entities receiving such funding.
• ICONS co-founder Kim Jones criticized the ruling and vowed to continue the legal fight, while ICONS co-founder Marshi Smith urged Congress to oppose the Protect College Sports Act, arguing the NCAA cannot be trusted to regulate sports fairly.
• The NCAA has since changed its policy to ban athletes assigned male at birth from competing on women’s teams but still allows them to practice with women’s teams; the NCAA did not immediately comment on the ruling.