Virginia schools can sue US Education Dept over transgender policies, US court rules

US appeals court revives Virginia schools’ challenges to Trump administration transgender policy Fairfax, Arlington schools sued after Education Department found bathroom policies violated Title IX Trump administration has moved to curb legal protections for transgender people By Daniel Wiessner Oct 15 (Reuters) — A US appeals court on Thursday revived challenges by two Virginia school districts to the US Department of Education's finding that it was illegal for them to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and other facilities that matched their gender identity. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision said a judge was wrong to rule that the lawsuits by the school boards in the city of Arlington and Fairfax County could only be heard in the US Court of Federal Claims and not Virginia federal court where they were filed. The Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction over cases seeking monetary damages from the federal government, but the 4th Circuit said the schools' cases include other claims and seek broader types of relief including injunctions barring future enforcement. The Education Department and lawyers for the school boards did no