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Gavel Drop: Trump’s Withdrawal of Title IX Guidance Opens Questions in the Gavin Grimm Case

The Trump administration's withdrawal of protections for transgender students may put Gavin Grimm's Supreme Court case on hold.

The case of Virginia transgender teen Gavin Grimm is currently scheduled for U.S. Supreme Court arguments in late March. MSNBC / YouTube

Welcome to Gavel Drop, our roundup of legal news, headlines, and head-shaking moments in the courts

Attorneys from Liberty Counsel, the National Organization for Marriage, and the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence got “bench slapped” by the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court for misgendering Virginia transgender student Gavin Grimm in briefs arguing he should have to use restrooms that align with his “biological sex” rather than his gender identity.

After the Trump administration withdrew the Obama-era guidance directing schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identities, the Court has asked for lawyers on both sides to suggest how to proceed with Grimm’s case, currently scheduled for arguments at the end of March.

The Arkansas Supreme Court struck down the City of Fayetteville’s ordinance banning discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The ruling did not go so far as to rule on the constitutionality of a state law that tries to prohibit such pro-LGBTQ protections, though.

Last week, we mentioned that state attorneys general may have the power to prosecute President Trump for emoluments violations. Over at Balkinization, Gregory Klass suggests those same attorneys general could also release Trump’s tax returns to Congress.

A group of lawyers from the Obama administration is working on a “worst case scenario” strategy to address attacks on regulatory agencies from within the West Wing.

There’s a long ways to go before Kellyanne Conway can be held accountable for violating ethics rules for plugging Ivanka Trump’s retail line on national television.

The Flint, Michigan water crisis illustrated how frustratingly difficult it is to hold elected officials legally responsible when they take steps to actively harm the health of their constituents.

At the request of the Trump administration, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a ruling that said immigrant minors accused of being unlawfully in the United States must have bail hearings before being released into immigration custody.

Meanwhile the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in what has been called a case of “crimmigration,” which is the weedy place where state criminal and federal civil immigration law meet—and often clash. A decision in the case isn’t expected until this summer.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department, alleging its cops perform thousands of illegal stop-and-frisks targeting Blacks and Latinos every year.

A New Jersey police officer has sued her department, arguing she faced years of racial and gender discrimination as a Black woman. That included being told to style her hair like a white officer because it was “kinky” and “not conservative.”

Under the Obama administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission became an important force fighting discrimination in the workplace. Trump wants to change all that.

A California woman has filed a lawsuit against her OB-GYN, alleging obstetric violence. According to the complaint, she told medical staff during her labor that she had previously been sexually assaulted and requested the staff ask permission when touching her. Despite that request, her doctor performed an episiotomy without her consent.

The Supreme Court is considering how much, if any, access to social media convicted sex offenders may have.

A federal judge ruled the City of Denver must make it easier to protest at Denver International Airport. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by two individuals protesting the administration’s Muslim ban at the airport and who claim they were threatened with arrest.

A federal judge in Colorado blocked a Ft. Collins ordinance that prohibits women from going topless in public.

Good news! The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Maryland’s ban on assault rifles, arguing the Second Amendment doesn’t grant gun owners a right to own “weapons of war.”