INDIANA – Attorney General Todd Rokita today announced the voluntary dismissal of Indiana’s claims in the multistate lawsuit challenging the Biden Administration’s unlawful expansion of Section 504.
Indiana joined the Texas-led coalition to fight the 2024 Biden-era rule that wrongly redefined “disability” under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to include gender dysphoria. This radical change threatened to divert critical federal resources away from individuals with real physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities — undermining the law’s original purpose.
With the Trump Administration’s swift action to reverse Biden’s overreach and restore Section 504 to its proper scope, the central objective of the lawsuit has been achieved. Indiana is therefore dismissing its claims in Texas v. Kennedy.
Attorney General Todd Rokita stated, “Section 504 exists to protect Americans with real disabilities — not to advance a political agenda. As the father of a child with Angelman Syndrome, I will always fight to strengthen protections and resources for Hoosiers with disabilities and their families. Our goal in this lawsuit was to remove President Biden’s ridiculous addition of gender dysphoria as a disability, which risked jeopardizing services for those who truly need them most. While we remain concerned about federal overreach into traditional state matters, President Trump’s decisive action has resolved the gender dysphoria issue. With that core victory secured, we have dismissed our claims. My office will continue closely monitoring any future federal actions that threaten proper support for individuals with disabilities.”
Tom Crishon, Chief Legal Officer of The Arc of Indiana, stated, “We are grateful to Attorney General Rokita and his staff for the extensive time and careful attention they devoted to hearing our concerns over the past several months on this issue. Their openness to listening thoughtfully to self-advocates, families, and the broader disability community showed a genuine commitment to understanding every perspective before making this final decision. After our conversations, we strongly believe the approach his office took in evaluating this lawsuit reflects a thoughtful and deliberate process — one that best protects the rights of all involved while faithfully upholding the core principles of Section 504.”
Read the notice of voluntary dismissal here.
