Tennessee
Judge axes Biden Title IX rule against transgender discrimination after Tenn., other states sue
Trans athletes, Title IX rule changes debated in House hearing
A house subcommittee listened to witnesses on the Biden’s proposed rule change to Title IX to include gender identity under sexual discrimination.
Rules created by the Biden administration prohibiting schools and universities from discriminating against transgender students were struck down in a Thursday court ruling that applies nationwide.
Tennessee was one of six states that sued to block the rules from going into effect.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the ruling “a huge win for Tennessee, for common sense, and for women and girls across America.”
“The court’s ruling is yet another repudiation of the Biden administration’s relentless push to impose a radical gender ideology through unconstitutional and illegal rulemaking,” Skrmetti said in a statement. “Because the Biden rule is vacated altogether, President Trump will be free to take a fresh look at our Title IX regulations when he returns to office next week.”
The regulations, which had already been blocked from implementation by a preliminary order, were released by the U.S. Department of Education in April as part of the Biden administration’s interpretation of Title IX, a federal law that bars discrimination on the basis of sex in schools that receive federal funding. The new regulations expanded the umbrella of sex discrimination to include discrimination on the basis of “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”
Under the updated rules, a school would violate the law if it “denies a transgender student access to a sex-separate facility or activity consistent with that of a student’s gender identity.”
The judge who issued the ruling, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves, pulled few punches in his opinion, calling the updated interpretation “unlawful on numerous fronts” and saying the new rules had an “arbitrary nature.”
Reeves saw the updated regulations as a departure from Title IX’s original purpose and longstanding interpretation, writing “Title IX does not encompass the issue of gender identity at all.”
“Put simply, there is nothing in the text or statutory design of Title IX to suggest that discrimination ‘on the basis of sex’ means anything other than it has since Title IX’s inception—that recipients of federal funds under Title IX may not treat a person worse than another similarly-situated individual on the basis of the person’s sex, i.e., male or female,” Reeves wrote.
Reeves claimed, despite the U.S. Department of Education’s statements in court to the contrary, that the rules would “require Title IX recipients, including teachers, to use names and pronouns associated with a student’s asserted gender identity,” a flashpoint in the ongoing culture war around LGBTQ+ people, youth in particular.
“President Biden’s radical Title IX rewrite is dead and common sense is ALIVE!” Skrmetti wrote on the social media site X, responding to a post from conservative media personality Clay Travis.
While the protections for gender identity discrimination are the most politically charged, Reeves’ order tosses out the updated regulations in their entirety. The rules made other changes to Title IX, including the system for handling sexual assault complaints, for example.
Shiwali Patel, an attorney in the Obama administration’s Office for Civil Rights who resigned from the Education Department in Trump’s first term, called the judge’s decision Thursday a “huge setback” that will ultimately harm students.
“I hope that they will continue to try to fight back,” she said of the Biden team. “But the reality is that there really isn’t much time for it left.”
The Department of Education did not immediately provide a comment.
Zachary Schermele of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com.
Tennessee
Tennessee Bowl Projections: Pair of ESPN Reporters Agree on Vols’ Projected Destination | Rocky Top Insider
With the conference championship slate of games in the books, bowl game selections are right around the corner. This includes Tennessee football, which has been tied to multiple bowls after finishing the 2025 season 8-4 (4-4 SEC).
According to ESPN on Sunday morning, both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are in agreement. The pair has the Vols headed to Tampa to play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The game is scheduled for Dec. 31 at noon ET on ESPN.
While Tennessee is waiting on its selection, most of the Big Ten know where it is headed. According to a report from On3’s Brett McMurphy, Michigan will play in the Citrus Bowl, Iowa will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl and Illinois will play in the Music City Bowl. The SEC is the other conference tie-in for those three games. McMurphy projects UT to play in the Music City Bowl against the Illini.
More From RTI: Tennessee Bowl Projections: Where the Vols Land in Post-SEC Championship Projections
If ESPN is correct and Tennessee and Iowa meet in the ReliaQuest Bowl, it’d be the second time in three years that the pair square off in a Florida bowl game. In 2023, after the Vols also finished 8-4, the two played in the Citrus Bowl. Tennessee won that matchup 35-0 behind MVP Nico Iamaleava.
All-time, the Vols are 3-1 against the Hawkeyes. Tennessee lost the first meeting in Atlanta in 1982, but claimed neutral site wins in 1987, 2014 and, most recently, 2023.
Tennessee has played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, previously named the Outback Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl, four times since it began in 1986. In 1993, UT defeated Boston College 38-23. In 2007, the Vols fell to Penn State 20-10. However, Tennessee returned the following season, beating Wisconsin 21-17 in 2008. The most recent appearance was in 2016, when UT won 45-6 over Northwestern.
ROBERTSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A man wanted for a double homicide out of Georgia is arrested in Middle Tennessee.
Two people were discovered shot in a vehicle near Harbins Road and Harbins Point in Lilburn, Georgia, just after 10 p.m. Friday night, said the Gwinnett County Police Department. Those two individuals died.
A man was also found injured on Windscape Village Lane in Norcross, GA, according to police. They determined the two scenes were related.
Police learned through their investigation that the suspect, 54-year-old Javier Aragon Ruiz, was en route to Tennessee.
Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers located Ruiz’s vehicle in Robertson County on Saturday morning and took him into custody, according to police.
Ruiz is charged by the THP with reckless driving, driving under the influence, possession of gun under the influence and a being a fugitive from justice. He is being held without bond in the Robertson County Jail.
The homicide victims will be identified by police after the next of kin is notified.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call GCPD detectives at 770.513.5300. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 404.577.TIPS (8477).
Tennessee
Where to watch No. 13 Tennessee-No. 14 Illinois college basketball game tonight free livestream
If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
The No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers play against the No. 14 Illinois Fighting Illini in a college basketball game tonight. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.
The Volunteers enter this matchup with a 7-2 record, but they have lost back-to-back games. In their most recent game, the Volunteers lost 62-60 against Syracuse.
In order to bounce back tonight, the Volunteers will need a great performance from their guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. He leads the Tennessee offense in scoring this season, as he averages nearly 18 points per game.
The Fighting Illini enter this matchup with a 6-2 record, and they are coming off a 74-61 loss against UConn.
In order to win tonight’s game, the Fighting Illini will need to rely on their guard Kylan Boswell. He leads the team in points and assists this year, which highlights his offensive prowess.
Fans can watch this college basketball game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.
Will Parker Washington play today, Dec. 7, vs. Indianapolis Colts? Inactives, injury report
Steelers’ Darnell Washington Leaves Game With Injury
Men’s Hoops Blows Past Georgia Southwestern 84-55 – Augusta University
Man arrested after attempted robbery leads to knife assault in Northeast DC
Man shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Congress faces holiday crunch as health care fix collides with shrinking calendar
European Greens declare Usula von der Leyen`’s EPP enemy number one
National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump’s birthday
Map: 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Alaska
Hegseth hints major defense spending increase, reveals new details on Trump’s anti-narcoterrorism operations
-
Politics5 days agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Ohio3 days agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
News5 days agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
World5 days agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Texas1 day agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Politics1 week agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
Alaska1 day agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Politics5 days agoTrump highlights comments by ‘Obama sycophant’ Eric Holder, continues pressing Senate GOP to nix filibuster