ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TueSDAY, mARCH 17, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
media@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA — Advocates for Faith & Freedom today announced a major victory in the ongoing fight to protect girls’ sports and free speech rights. The United States District Court for the Central District of California has granted in part Plaintiffs’ Motion for Reconsideration, reopening the case and allowing key claims for monetary damages to move forward against the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD).
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of two brave female high school athletes, T.S. and K.S., along with their families and the Save Girls’ Sports organization. It challenges RUSD’s implementation of California’s AB 1266, which forces schools to allow biological males to compete on girls’ teams and use female facilities. The complaint also addresses retaliation against the girls for exercising their First Amendment rights—specifically, wearing T-shirts expressing their belief that girls’ sports should be reserved for biological females
In February 2026, the Court had dismissed the entire action as moot. However, after Plaintiffs filed their Motion for Reconsideration, U.S. District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes ruled on March 16, 2026 that key Title IX claims seeking monetary damages against the school district were improperly dismissed. The Court also ruled that the student-athletes’ claims alleging violations of their constitutional rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments may proceed against the school defendants.
While the Court maintained that certain requests for prospective relief were moot, it confirmed that the girls’ claims for damages remain alive and that the case will now move forward in federal court. The Court ordered RUSD to file an Answer by Friday, March 27, 2026
“This ruling is an important step toward accountability,” said Julianne Fleischer, Senior Legal Counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, which represents the student-athletes. “These young women were told their opportunities did not matter, that fairness in girls’ sports could be sacrificed to political ideology. This decision ensures their voices will be heard in court.”
The case centers on policies that allowed biological males to compete in girls’ athletic competitions, displacing female athletes and undermining the purpose of Title IX—one of the nation’s most important civil rights protections for women and girls.
Title IX was enacted to ensure equal athletic opportunities for female athletes. Advocates for Faith & Freedom argues that allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports erodes those protections and violates the constitutional rights of the young women forced to compete against them.
“Girls deserve a level playing field,” continued Ms. Fleischer. “No amount of political pressure can erase biological reality. When schools sacrifice fairness to ideology, the law must step in.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom remains committed to defending the rights of female athletes across the country and ensuring that the protections promised under Title IX are not reinterpreted or undermined by unlawful policies.”
“This fight is far from over,” the Ms. Fleischer added. “But today’s ruling confirms that these girls, and the truth they are standing for, will not be silenced.”
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.