Brewer v. Brown et al

On April 3, 2026, Jamie Brewer, a transgender high school student in California, filed a federal lawsuit against school board members Michael Brown and Susan Miller. Brewer alleged that the district's policy barring her from using the girls' restroom violated Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Represented by attorney Linda Carter and supported by the ACLU, Brewer sought an emergency preliminary injunction. The school board, defended by David Thompson and backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, argued the policy protected student privacy. After expedited hearings, Judge Sarah Jenkins of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction in May 2026, allowing Brewer to use facilities consistent with her gender identity while the case proceeds. The ruling sparked intense national debate over transgender rights in schools.

The court granted a preliminary injunction in May 2026, ordering the school district to permit Jamie Brewer access to the girls' restroom pending a final trial on the merits.

Whether a public school district's restroom policy that prevents a transgender student from using facilities matching their gender identity constitutes discrimination under Title IX and violates the Equal Protection Clause.

The case became a flashpoint in the national conversation on transgender student rights, drawing extensive media coverage and amicus briefs. Advocacy groups on both sides mobilized, and the preliminary injunction influenced similar pending litigation across multiple states. School boards nationwide began reviewing their own gender-identity policies in anticipation of the final ruling.