Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison holds up a letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at a news conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, as he held a news conference to announce a preemptive lawsuit againstRepublican President Donald Trump seeking to block his administration from acting against Minnesota in the way it’s taking on Maine under a federal push to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a preemptive lawsuit Tuesday against Republican President Donald Trump seeking to block his administration from acting against Minnesota in the way it’s taking on Maine under a federal push to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports.
“Minnesota brings this lawsuit to stop President Trump and his administration from bullying vulnerable children in this state,” Ellison said at a news conference, quoting the opening line from the lawsuit naming Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi.
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When Bondi announced the administration’s lawsuit against Maine last week, she warned that Minnesota and California could be next. The administration’s lawsuit followed weeks of feuding between Trump and Democratic Gov. Janet Mill of Maine that led to a clash at the White House when she told Trump, “We’ll see you in court.”
With this case, Ellison is trying to beat Trump and Bondi to the courthouse.
The federal lawsuit asks the court to declare Trump’s two executive orders on the matter — and letters that the Justice Department has sent to Minnesota threatening to cut off education funding if the state doesn’t comply — unconstitutional and bar their enforcement. Ellison told reporters that the orders violate the constitutional separation of powers by usurping Congress’ authority to legislate. He said the orders also violate the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funds.
The Minnesota Human Rights Act has protected transgender rights since 1993, and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation in 2023 making the state a refuge for transgender children coming from other states for gender-affirming care. Ellison issued a formal legal opinion in February that said the state’s human rights protections supersede Trump’s exective order on sports, and the attorney general said his guidance is legally binding in Minnesota unless a court rules otherwise.
“Trump’s burning desire to destroy trans kids and punish us for helping them live and thrive isn’t just a violation of law, it’s a violation of Minnesota values,
Minnesota attorney general files preemptive lawsuit against Trump on transgender sports ban
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