A divided panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an injunction blocking the Biden administration's new Title IX rule, which extends protections against sex-based discrimination to include gender identity. This decision, siding with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, signifies a substantial likelihood that the states will prevail in their legal challenge against the rule, which they argue oversteps the Department of Education's authority and imposes conditions that threaten the safety of female students. The injunction follows a series of preliminary injunctions from other courts and will remain in place while the appeals court reviews the case further. This ruling affects at least 26 states, where similar legal challenges are ongoing. The Biden administration has vowed to continue fighting for the protections intended for LGBTQ+ students, asserting that the rule is critical to combating discrimination in educational settings. The outcome of this legal battle will have significant implications for educational policies surrounding gender identity across the U.S.