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In the wake of a transgender athlete winning two events at the California state track-and-field championship, the Trump administration has threatened significant legal actions and fines against the state over its policy on trans athletes in high school sports.

The controversy arose after Harmeet K. Dhillon, the head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, sent a letter to California’s public school districts on Monday. The letter criticized the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for violating the Constitution’s equal protection clause. The CIF's bylaw allows students to participate in activities consistent with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their records. Dhillon's letter demanded that school districts certify by June 9 that they would not comply with the bylaw.

President Donald Trump amplified the pressure, promising "large scale fines" for California in a social media post on Tuesday. This followed his previous warning to California Governor Gavin Newsom concerning AB Hernandez, the transgender athlete who recently excelled at the championships. Despite Trump's executive order seeking to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports, Newsom did not block Hernandez from competing.

Instead, the CIF adjusted its policy slightly to address the controversy by allowing an additional competitor in events for which Hernandez qualified. The federation stated that this new entry process was designed to ensure participation opportunities for all student-athletes. However, neither the CIF nor the Education Department responded to requests for comment.

In the competition, Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle shared the first-place podium with Hernandez for the high jump, though Hernandez had no failed attempts while Wetteland and Laruelle each had one. Hernandez also tied for first in the triple jump with Kira Gant Hatcher and took second in the long jump with Brooke White, who expressed emotional support for Hernandez.

Since taking office in April, Dhillon has refocused the Justice Department’s civil rights division on issues such as the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. The Department recently announced it would open a Title IX investigation in California related to this matter and has supported a federal lawsuit challenging the state's law, A.B. 1266. This law permits students to join sex-segregated programs and use facilities in accordance with their gender identity.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has sent warnings to California, Maine, and Minnesota about potential legal action for non-compliance with federal law and Trump's executive order on trans athletes. Legal tensions are rising, as revealed by the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Maine and Minnesota's preemptive lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that Trump's order is unconstitutional.