AlabamaCHOOSE Act students can challenge sports eligibility discrimination in court
Students, parents, and participating schools may ask courts to stop sports rules based on CHOOSE Act status and seek damages for covered actions.
What it does
CHOOSE Act participants may ask a court to stop an athletic association from limiting a student's participation because of CHOOSE Act status, punishing court-ordered participation, or retaliating against supporters.
Participants may sue for actual financial losses caused by covered actions and may receive court costs and reasonable attorney fees if they win.
Argument forStudents could keep playing while a court reviews a rule that limits them because they take part in the CHOOSE Act.
Argument againstStrong court presumptions could pressure athletic associations to change disputed rules before a court fully reviews the case.
More detail
A CHOOSE Act participant may ask a court to stop certain actions by an athletic association. A student, the student's parent, or a participating school may bring an action against an athletic association. Covered actions include discriminatory limits on participation, punishment tied to participation under a court order, and retaliation for supporting that participation. The participant must present enough evidence that the association took or is likely to take a covered action. A covered rule must limit or impede participation because of the student's CHOOSE Act status. The law does not bar academic, transfer, or residency rules applied without regard to that status. Courts must prioritize allowing the student to play over preserving the current situation. A participant may seek temporary or permanent court orders. A court may grant relief even if the association took the covered action before the lawsuit.
A CHOOSE Act participant may sue an athletic association for actual economic damages. A student, the student's parent, or a participating school may bring the action against an athletic association. The claimed financial losses must have been directly caused by an action covered by the court-order provisions. A court may award costs and reasonable attorney fees to a winning participant. It may award them to a winning association as allowed under Alabama's Litigation Accountability Act. A damages lawsuit must be filed within two years of the association's action.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 15EnactedBecame Law
- Apr 9Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1338Passed House
- Vote recorded Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1338. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 9Ready to Enroll
- Apr 9EnrolledTo Governor
- Apr 9Delivered to GovernorMinor
- Apr 9Signature Requested
- Apr 7Reported Out of Committee Second House
- Apr 7Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Ways and Means Education)Minor
- Apr 1Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means EducationMinor
- Apr 1Pending Committee Action in Second House (Ways and Means Education)
- Mar 31Third Reading in House of Origin
- Vote recorded Chambliss motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1006. Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1007. Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded Third Reading in House of Origin. Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded Petition To Close Debate- Adopted Roll Call 1005. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 31Chambliss 1st Amendment OfferedMinor
- Mar 31Petition To Close Debate- Adopted Roll Call 1005
- Mar 31Chambliss motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1006Major
- Mar 31Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1007Passed Senate
- Mar 31Engrossed
- Mar 19Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Finance and Taxation Education)Minor
- Mar 18Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
- Mar 5Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and Taxation EducationMinor
- Mar 5Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Finance and Taxation Education)Introduced
Education