NY appeals court strikes down Blakeman's Nassau County transgender athlete ban

A New York appeals court on Wednesday, Nov. 4, struck down Nassau County's ban on transgender women and girls playing on women's and girls' teams at county-owned sports facilities ¹². A panel of four judges from the Appellate Division, Second Department, ruled unanimously that the local law conflicts with the state's anti-discrimination laws ²⁴.

The ruling came one day after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican who started the ban, lost his race for governor to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul ³⁴. The county's lawyer says the fight is not over ¹.

On tapeEyewitness News ABC7NY · Nov 4

▶2:01

What the court decided

The law did not bar transgender athletes from every sport. It denied county park permits to women's and girls' teams that included transgender women or girls ²⁴. The ban reached more than 100 county sites, including ice rinks and swimming pools ².

The judges pointed to New York's Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law. The court said those laws "expressly prohibit the County from restricting access to places of public accommodation" based on "a person's gender identity or expression, including whether the person identifies as transgender" ⁴⁵. A "place of public accommodation" is a place open to the public, such as a park, a pool or a rink.

From Channel GOPKathy Hochul declares victory in New YorkKathy Hochul · 11 plays · captioned, with the source named

The panel also cited a state human rights rule that treats discrimination based on gender identity as a form of sex discrimination ². It sent the attorney general's case back to a county court for a formal judgment declaring the law invalid under the state constitution and the state law that limits what counties can do ².

The court decided two separate cases. One was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat ⁵. The other was filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), a branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, for the Long Island Roller Rebels, an adult women's roller derby league that welcomes transgender players ¹². Because of the ruling, the Roller Rebels can play at county-run facilities again ¹.

Nobody should have to fight to play the game they love.

A two-and-a-half-year fight

Blakeman first created the ban by executive order on Feb. 22, 2024 ². On May 10, 2024, a state judge, Justice Francis Ricigliano, threw that order out, finding Blakeman had gone beyond his authority ²³.

The Republican-controlled county legislature then passed the ban as a local law in June 2024, 12 to 5 along party lines ². Blakeman signed it on July 15, 2024. James and the NYCLU sued the same day ².

In October 2025, a lower-court judge, Justice R. Bruce Cozzens, upheld the ban ²³. He wrote that the ban was "narrowly tailored" and "does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation," because transgender players could still join men's or coed teams ⁶. Two days later, the appeals court blocked the county from enforcing the law while the case went on ²⁶.

When the appeals court blocked the ban last year, Blakeman said in an emailed statement that the county would keep defending it ⁶.

continue to protect the integrity and safety of women's sports

What the two sides say now

James criticized the policy's purpose. "Bruce Blakeman was just trying to stop athletes from playing with their teammates," she said, adding, "I am pleased the court saw right through it" ⁴.

As long as I am attorney general, no New Yorker will be shut out of public life because of who they are.

NYCLU senior staff attorney Gabriella Larios called the ruling a major win. She said the court made clear that "any attempt to ban transgender girls from public spaces is prohibited by the state's anti-discrimination laws" ¹.

Nassau County Attorney Thomas Adams said the county is "reviewing the decision with the intention to continue the appeals process" ¹³. Larios said the county could ask New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, to take the case. That court may refuse, and she called it an uphill battle for the county ².

Why a state law decided this case

That matters because of what happened at the U.S. Supreme Court this summer. On June 30, 2026, the justices voted 6-3 to uphold bans on transgender athletes in West Virginia and Idaho ². That decision lets states pass such bans. It does not require them ⁴.

Nassau's law failed for a different reason: New York's own civil rights laws protect people based on gender identity, and a county cannot pass a law that contradicts state law ²⁴. The pattern is clear. As federal courts step back, the rights people actually have depend more and more on state law and on who enforces it.

That puts state attorneys general, state legislatures and governors at the center of these fights. In New York, an attorney general brought one of the two cases that won, and the county executive who wrote the ban just lost his bid to become governor ³⁵.

The Record

1. Feb 22, 2024Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman issues an executive order banning transgender women and girls from women's and girls' teams at county facilities ².
2. May 10, 2024State Justice Francis Ricigliano throws out the order, finding Blakeman exceeded his authority ².
3. Jul 15, 2024Blakeman signs a ban the county legislature passed 12-5 along party lines; Attorney General Letitia James and the NYCLU sue the same day ².
4. Oct 8, 2025Two days after a lower-court judge upheld the ban, the appeals court blocks enforcement while the case continues ²⁶.
5. Nov 4, 2026A unanimous Appellate Division panel strikes down the ban as a violation of New York's civil rights laws ²⁵.

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>NY appeals court strikes down Blakeman&#39;s Nassau County transgender athlete ban</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ny-appeals-court-strikes-down-blakeman-s-nassau-county-transgender-athlete-ban">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 7, 2026.</em></p> <p>A New York appeals court on Wednesday, Nov. 4, struck down Nassau County&#39;s ban on transgender women and girls playing on women&#39;s and girls&#39; teams at county-owned sports facilities . A panel of four judges from the Appellate Division, Second Department, ruled unanimously that the local law conflicts with the state&#39;s anti-discrimination laws .</p> <p>The ruling came one day after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican who started the ban, lost his race for governor to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul . The county&#39;s lawyer says the fight is not over .</p> <h2>What the court decided</h2> <p>The law did not bar transgender athletes from every sport. It denied county park permits to women&#39;s and girls&#39; teams that included transgender women or girls . The ban reached more than 100 county sites, including ice rinks and swimming pools .</p> <p>The judges pointed to New York&#39;s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law. The court said those laws &quot;expressly prohibit the County from restricting access to places of public accommodation&quot; based on &quot;a person&#39;s gender identity or expression, including whether the person identifies as transgender&quot; . A &quot;place of public accommodation&quot; is a place open to the public, such as a park, a pool or a rink.</p> <p>The panel also cited a state human rights rule that treats discrimination based on gender identity as a form of sex discrimination . It sent the attorney general&#39;s case back to a county court for a formal judgment declaring the law invalid under the state constitution and the state law that limits what counties can do .</p> <p>The court decided two separate cases. One was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat . The other was filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), a branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, for the Long Island Roller Rebels, an adult women&#39;s roller derby league that welcomes transgender players . Because of the ruling, the Roller Rebels can play at county-run facilities again .</p> <blockquote><p>Nobody should have to fight to play the game they love.</p><p>&mdash; Letitia James, New York attorney general, Democrat</p></blockquote> <h2>A two-and-a-half-year fight</h2> <p>Blakeman first created the ban by executive order on Feb. 22, 2024 . On May 10, 2024, a state judge, Justice Francis Ricigliano, threw that order out, finding Blakeman had gone beyond his authority .</p> <p>The Republican-controlled county legislature then passed the ban as a local law in June 2024, 12 to 5 along party lines . Blakeman signed it on July 15, 2024. James and the NYCLU sued the same day .</p> <p>In October 2025, a lower-court judge, Justice R. Bruce Cozzens, upheld the ban . He wrote that the ban was &quot;narrowly tailored&quot; and &quot;does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation,&quot; because transgender players could still join men&#39;s or coed teams . Two days later, the appeals court blocked the county from enforcing the law while the case went on .</p> <p>When the appeals court blocked the ban last year, Blakeman said in an emailed statement that the county would keep defending it .</p> <blockquote><p>continue to protect the integrity and safety of women&#39;s sports</p><p>&mdash; Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County executive, Republican-N.Y.</p></blockquote> <h2>What the two sides say now</h2> <p>James criticized the policy&#39;s purpose. &quot;Bruce Blakeman was just trying to stop athletes from playing with their teammates,&quot; she said, adding, &quot;I am pleased the court saw right through it&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>As long as I am attorney general, no New Yorker will be shut out of public life because of who they are.</p><p>&mdash; Letitia James, New York attorney general, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>NYCLU senior staff attorney Gabriella Larios called the ruling a major win. She said the court made clear that &quot;any attempt to ban transgender girls from public spaces is prohibited by the state&#39;s anti-discrimination laws&quot; .</p> <p>Nassau County Attorney Thomas Adams said the county is &quot;reviewing the decision with the intention to continue the appeals process&quot; . Larios said the county could ask New York&#39;s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to take the case. That court may refuse, and she called it an uphill battle for the county .</p> <h2>Why a state law decided this case</h2> <p>That matters because of what happened at the U.S. Supreme Court this summer. On June 30, 2026, the justices voted 6-3 to uphold bans on transgender athletes in West Virginia and Idaho . That decision lets states pass such bans. It does not require them .</p> <p>Nassau&#39;s law failed for a different reason: New York&#39;s own civil rights laws protect people based on gender identity, and a county cannot pass a law that contradicts state law . The pattern is clear. As federal courts step back, the rights people actually have depend more and more on state law and on who enforces it.</p> <p>That puts state attorneys general, state legislatures and governors at the center of these fights. In New York, an attorney general brought one of the two cases that won, and the county executive who wrote the ban just lost his bid to become governor .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ny-appeals-court-strikes-down-blakeman-s-nassau-county-transgender-athlete-ban">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/ny-appeals-court-strikes-down-blakeman-s-nassau-county-transgender-athlete-ban.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. ABC7 New York, “Nassau County trans sports ban overturned by appeals court” (2026-11-04). abc7ny.com/post/nassau-county-trans-sports-ban-overturned-ap
2. Gayety, “Nassau County Transgender Athlete Ban Struck Down on Appeal” (2026-11-04). gayety.com/nassau-county-transgender-athlete-ban-struck-down
3. The Advocate, “New York court lifts Nassau County trans sports ban” (2026-11-05). advocate.com/politics/states/nassau-county-trans-ban-lifted
4. The Comeback, “'Nobody should have to fight to play the game they love': Court strikes down trans athlete ban” (2026-11-05). thecomeback.com/politics/nobody-should-have-to-fight-to-play
5. New York State Attorney General, “Attorney General James Wins Lawsuit Against Nassau County Over Illegal Trans Athlete Ban” (2026-11-04). ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-wins-law
6. NBC News, “Judge halts New York county from enforcing trans athlete ban after roller derby league sues” (2025-10-09). nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/judge-halts-new-york-county-tra

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.