PUT ON NOTICE: Attorney General Pam Bondi sent letters to California, Maine, and Minnesota on Tuesday telling them they would face legal consequences if they refuse to keep biological males from competing in girls’ sports.

Bondi warns three states to comply with law keeping boys out of girls sports or face legal action

Bondi sent letters to attorneys general in California, Maine and Minnesota Tuesday, first obtained by Fox News.

“This Department of Justice will hold accountable states and state entities that violate federal law,” Bondi wrote. “Indeed, we have already begun to do so.”

Bondi was referring to the Justice Department’s move to sue Illinois and New York earlier in February for defying federal immigration laws.

“We also stand ready to sue states and state entities that defy federal antidiscrimination laws,” Bondi wrote.

President Donald Trump recently directed the DOJ and the Education Department to prioritize enforcement actions against athletic associations that deny girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys.

Bondi said, though, state athletic associations, including in California, Maine and Minnesota, “have issued defiant statements saying that they would continue requiring girls to compete against boys in sports and athletic events.”

In Minnesota, Bondi said Attorney General Keith Ellison “issued a legal opinion asserting that the Minnesota State High School League would be violating state law unless it continues this demeaning, unfair, and dangerous practice.”

In California, Bondi said the state “should be on notice,” amid the Department of Education’s Title IX investigation into the California Interscholastic Federation.

“If the Department of Education’s investigation shows that the Federation is indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law,” Bondi wrote.

Bondi also said “Maine should be on notice,” amid the Department of Education’s Title IX investigation into the Maine Department of Education.

“If these or other federal investigations show that the relevant Maine entities are indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law,” Bondi wrote, issuing a similar warning to Minnesota and California.

“I hope that it does not come to this,” Bondi wrote. “The Department of Justice does not want to have to sue states or state entities, or seek termination of their federal funds.”

Bondi said the Justice Department “only wants states and state entities to comply with the law.”

“And federal law requires giving girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by ensuring that girls need to compete only with other girls, not with boys,” Bondi wrote.

Bondi told Fox News that “this Department of Justice will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law.”

“We will leverage every legal option necessary to ensure state compliance with federal law and President Trump’s Executive Order protecting women’s sports,” she said.

Trump’s recent executive order, order 14201, on this subject says that allowing men and boys to compete in women’s and girls’ sports “is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls.”

The practice also is illegal under federal law, according to Bondi: It denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports, in violation of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972.

Bondi’s warning comes after Trump sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over transgender women in sports, telling her at the White House recently that she must follow his executive order or “you’re not going to get any federal funding.”

Trump recently threatened to cut off federal funding to Maine before clashing with Mills at a bipartisan meeting of governors.

“Are you not going to comply with that?” Trump asked Mills.

“I’m complying with state and federal laws,” she responded, before Trump said “Well, we are the federal law” and “You better do it, you better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.”

“And by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports, so you better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding,” Trump continued.

“We’ll see you in court,” Mills responded.

“Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that,” Trump said. “That should be a real easy one.  And enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”