Appeals courts are still blocking Biden’s efforts to expand LGBTQ+ protections under Title IX

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans has refused to pause a lower court order that blocks a Biden administration rule expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students under the federal Title IX law. The new protections have been praised by civil rights advocates. Opponents say they undermine the spirit of Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in education. A federal judge in Louisiana had blocked the rule in a lawsuit filed by officials in Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana. The latest ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was dated Wednesday — the same day the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit issued a similar ruling in a Kentucky-filed lawsuit affecting multiple states.