California filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department Monday over the Trump administration’s demand that public school districts bar male athletes from competing in girls sports, escalating tensions between the Golden State and the Trump administration.

Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta selected the Northern California federal court for his suit, seeking to block the DOJ under President Donald Trump from enforcing a June 3 letter issued by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. The letter ordered all public schools in the state to “certify in writing” by June 9 that they will uphold federal standards and therefore break with state law and the California Interscholastic Federation’s rules, which permit athletes to compete in sports leagues based on gender identity.

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“The President and his Administration are demanding that California school districts break the law and violate the Constitution — or face legal retaliation,” Bonta said in a statement. “They’re demanding that our schools discriminate against the students in their care and deny their constitutionally protected rights.”

The 33-page lawsuit argues that the DOJ’s demand lacks any legal basis and constitutes federal overreach by threatening to punish school districts for following California’s transgender sports participation law. That law requires schools to allow students to join sports teams that align with their gender identity, a policy state officials contend complies with both California’s civil rights protections and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

However, the Trump administration argues the opposite: that California’s policy discriminates against girls by forcing them to compete against biologically male athletes, thereby depriving them of equal athletic opportunities. Dhillon wrote in her letter to school districts that this amounts to unconstitutional sex discrimination under the same equal protection clause the state invokes in its defense.

The dispute intensified after transgender track athlete AB Hernandez won multiple medals at last month’s state championships, prompting renewed criticism from Trump and his allies. Days later, Dhillon warned districts they could face legal liability for violating female students’ rights if they allowed biological males to compete in girls’ divisions.

Conservatives such as Chino Valley school board president Sonja Shaw praised the DOJ’s stance, calling it a necessary defense of fair play. “Our daughters deserve safe, fair competition,” Shaw told the Los Angeles Times. “Radical policies are undermining that right.”

But California education officials rejected the federal threat. Superintendent Tony Thurmond said Dhillon’s letter is unenforceable in the state, and the California Department of Education argued that schools are not obligated to issue new certifications.

“All students—not just transgender students—benefit from inclusive school environments that are free from discrimination and harassment. When transgender students are treated equally, their mental health outcomes mirror those of their cisgender peers,” said Len Garfinkel, general counsel for the state Education Department.

DOJ THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER CALIFORNIA TRANSGENDER ATHLETE POLICY

Bonta’s lawsuit seeks a court order barring the administration from enforcing its orders against school districts that comply with California’s trans-inclusive sports policy, which supporters say protects vulnerable students from discrimination.

This challenge fell on the same day California filed a 10th Amendment lawsuit against the federal government over the Trump administration’s federalization of the National Guard to quell riots and unrest in Los Angeles.