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Judge dismisses Riley Gaines' Title IX lawsuit against NCAA; appeal planned

A federal judge in Georgia granted the NCAA summary judgment, finding no evidence it receives federal funds and so falls outside Title IX. Gaines and co-plaintiffs say they will appeal. Only right-leaning outlets covered the story.

3 outlets · 0L · 0C · 3R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). Rewritten with the latest reporting.

Image: Fox News
Image: Just the News
Image: Breitbart

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The story, neutrally told

U.S. District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson of the Northern District of Georgia dismissed a Title IX lawsuit brought by Riley Gaines and more than a dozen other current and former female college athletes against the NCAA. Johnson granted the NCAA's motion for summary judgment on the remaining claims, finding the evidence did not show the NCAA receives federal financial assistance, a prerequisite for Title IX liability. She wrote: "Here, there is no evidence that the NCAA ever received, or could have received, federal funds."

Fox News reports the ruling turned on the NCAA's concussion-research work with the Defense Department, where the judge found separate funding streams, and did not decide whether the NCAA's former transgender-athlete policy was sex discrimination. The case grew out of the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships, where Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title and Gaines tied Thomas for fifth. Gaines called the outcome a "momentary setback" and said the plaintiffs will appeal; they have 30 days to file a notice with the 11th Circuit.

In a later post on X, Gaines said the goal from the beginning was to get the case before the Supreme Court. ICONS, which co-sponsored the suit, said the judge erred and expects the appeals court to find the NCAA covered. The NCAA said it is in full compliance with the Trump administration's executive order on women's sports; Fox notes it did not address the allegations or the appeal, and that the NCAA changed its policy in February 2025.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right3 outlets

Framing
Coverage treats the dismissal as a setback for women's sports advocates, leading with the plaintiffs' vow to appeal, and most pieces label the judge as Biden-appointed.
Emphasis
Gaines' and ICONS' statements, the appeal plan, and the NCAA's response; Fox adds legal detail on the funding finding and the Protect College Sports Act.
Leaves out or plays down
No left or centre outlets covered it. Just the News and Breitbart give no NCAA response; Breitbart gives little detail on the Defense Department funding reasoning. Just the News omits the judge's appointer.
Charged language
“Biden Judge”“fiery statement”“trample women's rights in sports”“transgender-identifying athletes”
For example
“A Joe Biden-appointed federal judge has dismissed former college athlete Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA over its transgender athlete policies.” — Breitbart
“Riley Gaines vows to appeal after a federal judge ruled the NCAA is not subject to Title IX” — Fox News
“Johnson granted the NCAA's motion for summary judgment on the lawsuit's remaining claims, Fox News reported.” — Just the News