Latest news with #EqualProtectionClause
Time of India
4 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
‘Large-scale fines will be imposed': Trump's fierce warning to California over transgender athlete wins - The Economic Times Video
US President Donald Trump vows hefty fines on California after a transgender athlete wins two high school track championships, sparking national controversy. Trump threatened 'large scale' fines following the transgender teen's participation in a California state track final. He previously warned Gov. Gavin Newsom that federal funding could be withheld if the state ignored his executive order signed on his first day in office. The US Department of Justice has warned California schools they may face legal action for allowing transgender athletes to compete, citing violations of the Equal Protection Clause. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon called the policy unconstitutional, arguing it disadvantages female athletes. This follows Trump's executive order to cut federal funding to schools that allow trans girls to compete in women's sports, reaffirming his administration's stance to protect women's athletics.
Economic Times
4 hours ago
- General
- Economic Times
‘Large-scale fines will be imposed': Trump's fierce warning to California over transgender athlete wins
US President Donald Trump vows hefty fines on California after a transgender athlete wins two high school track championships, sparking national controversy. Trump threatened 'large scale' fines following the transgender teen's participation in a California state track final. He previously warned Gov. Gavin Newsom that federal funding could be withheld if the state ignored his executive order signed on his first day in office. The US Department of Justice has warned California schools they may face legal action for allowing transgender athletes to compete, citing violations of the Equal Protection Clause. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon called the policy unconstitutional, arguing it disadvantages female athletes. This follows Trump's executive order to cut federal funding to schools that allow trans girls to compete in women's sports, reaffirming his administration's stance to protect women's athletics. Show more 11:38 02:32 11:48 02:54 04:02 09:02 09:55 03:32 09:16 04:43 02:26 03:08 01:36 12:52 03:31 02:36 05:44 08:06 03:25 11:39 04:45 09:20 08:10 12:03 01:39 01:39
IOL News
4 hours ago
- General
- IOL News
Trump threatens fines against California over trans athlete
US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose "large scale" fines against California after a transgender high school athlete's victory at state track and field championships last weekend. Image: Jim Watson/ AFP US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose "large scale" fines against California after a transgender high school athlete's victory at state track and field championships last weekend. AB Hernandez, 16, won two gold medals and a silver at the athletics meet in Clovis amid an outcry over her participation. Hernandez shared her place on the medal podium with rivals under modified rules applied specifically to her events designed to ensure that "biological female student-athletes" were not deprived of winning medals. Trump, who had protested against Hernandez's participation last week, said in a Truth Social post late Monday that California authorities would be fined as a result. "A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so," Trump wrote. "As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!" added Trump, using the disparaging moniker he reserves for California's Governor Gavin Newsom. The US Department of Justice last week announced it had launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. "The investigation is to determine whether California, its senior legal, educational, and athletic organizations, and the school district are engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex," the DOJ said in a statement. On Monday, it followed up that announcement with a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) warning the body that the rules which allowed Hernandez to compete violated federal law. The Justice Department ordered the CIF to confirm in writing by June 9 that its bylaw would not be implemented. "Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex," the letter from assistant US attorney general Harmeet Dhillon read. "Therefore, you cannot implement a policy allowing males to compete alongside girls, because such a policy would deprive girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause." AFP
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Catholic bishops sue Washington state over law requiring clergy to report child abuse
Catholic leaders in Washington have sued the state over a new law requiring clergy to report suspected child abuse, including details potentially revealed during confession. The lawsuit, filed last week on behalf of the bishops, alleges Senate Bill 5375, which was signed into law on May 2, violates the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The law 'puts Roman Catholic priests to an impossible choice: violate 2,000 years of Church teaching and incur automatic excommunication, or refuse to comply with Washington law and be subject to imprisonment, fine, and civil liability,' the lawsuit states. The law's text doesn't target Catholics specifically. In fact, it upholds the mandatory reporting requirement for ministers, priests, rabbis, imams, elders or a 'spiritual leader of any church, religious denomination, religious body, spiritual community or sect," adding to a list that includes school employees and health care workers. The bill's sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Noel Frame, said she was motivated to create this bill following reports that Jehovah's Witnesses covered up child sexual abuse for years. But the Catholic bishops, of a denomination that has also been roiled over several years by child sex abuse scandals, argue in their filing that the law could be used to force them to violate their oaths if they're forced to relay child abuse information provided during confessions. The New York Times offered some helpful context here: Clergy are considered mandated reporters in a majority of states, meaning they are legally obligated to report to authorities if they suspect a child is being abused. In most states, however, the state reserves protections for the clergy-penitent relationship. In seven states, including New Hampshire and West Virginia, there is no such exception. (In Tennessee, the privilege is denied only in cases of child sexual abuse.) It's not clear that any priests have been prosecuted or penalized in those states over failing to report abuse that they learned about during a confession. In other words, the Washington state law isn't wholly unprecedented, even if it's controversial to some Catholics. And one might think the Trump administration, which has made a show of cracking down on purported child abuse, might support legislation such as this, which appears equipped to help Washington do so as well. But the Justice Department last month launched an investigation into the law, framing it as 'anti-Catholic.' In a statement responding to the lawsuit, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, who is Catholic, 'I'm disappointed my Church is filing a federal lawsuit to protect individuals who abuse kids." Ferguson has stated previously that Catholic Bishops potentially having to reveal child abuse claims they hear during confession didn't give him pause. 'I'm very familiar with it," he said. "Been to confession, myself. I felt this was important legislation for protecting kids. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump threatens California with heavy ‘fines' over trans athlete's victories at CIF finals
President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 'large scale' financial penalties on California after a transgender athlete competed and won two medals at last weekend's high school state track and field championship. 'Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,' Trump wrote in a 12:56 a.m. EST Tuesday post on Truth Social. 'As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!,' Trump added, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom with a derogatory nickname often used by the right. Trump did not offer details regarding the potential fines or the specific federal funding that could be affected. The dispute centers around AB Hernandez, a transgender high school athlete who placed first in both the girls' high jump and triple jump events at Saturday's California Interscholastic Federation finals in Clovis. Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium. Hernandez's victories followed a CIF rule change last week that allows athletes assigned female at birth to receive medals based on their potential finish had a transgender athlete not participated. Governor Newsom has yet to personally respond to the president's latest threat; however, in a statement to KTLA 5 News on Tuesday, his office pointed out that CIF is an independent, non-profit that is not governed by his administration. It added that California is one of 22 states that have laws allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. California's law was passed in 2013 and was signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. While Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, is widely viewed as a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, he recently made headlines by apparently tacking to the right on the trans athlete issue. During a conversation with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in the debut episode of his new podcast in March, Newsom called the idea of athletes whose sex assigned at birth was male then competing in female sports 'deeply unfair.' 'I revere sports, so the issue of fairness is completely legit,' he said. The Department of Justice argues that allowing transgender athletes to compete in female sports amounts to sex discrimination. The argument is based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women's sports at the high school, college or professional level. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
