Indiana attorney general sues high school sports association over race-based board quota

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has sued the state’s governing body for high school athletics over a policy that reserves two seats on its board of directors for racial minorities.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Marion County Superior Court, seeks to force the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) to eliminate a provision reserving two of its 19 board seats for "qualified minorities." The association’s bylaws define a minority director as "an individual other than a white male or female."

"Hoosier students should not be governed by a sports association that picks its leaders based on race," Rokita said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "IHSAA’s quota tells kids that skin color, rather than merit, is an appropriate way to judge people."

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"That lesson has no place in Indiana’s education system, and, regardless, the law does not permit it," he continued. "The IHSAA exists to build character. A racial litmus test for choosing leadership on the IHSAA’s board does the opposite, and after months of delay, the Association left us no choice but to take legal action."

The state’s complaint alleges the quota constitutes an "overt racial classification" that treats potential board members differently based solely on their race. It accuses the IHSAA of violating Indiana’s nonprofit laws by abusing its authority, misapplying corporate assets and acting inconsistently with its stated public purpose.

The lawsuit asks the court to issue a permanent injunction requiring the IHSAA to immediately remove the racial qualification from its bylaws and prohibit the association from adopting future policies that allocate board seats based on race. It also seeks a declaration that the existing provisions violate Indiana law.

The IHSAA defended its policies in a statement Thursday and said it was disappointed Rokita proceeded with litigation.

"The IHSAA disagrees with any suggestion that our bylaws violate federal and state civil rights laws or in any way constitute an abuse of its nonprofit status," the organization said. "To the contrary, the IHSAA is committed to serving all student-athletes and member schools throughout Indiana. Consistent with that mission, we value broad representation and diverse perspectives among those who help guide and support interscholastic athletics across the state."

The organization added that the lawsuit was filed despite its willingness to consider Rokita’s concerns through its "established governance and bylaw review processes."

"For more than a century, the IHSAA has governed high school athletics on behalf of its member schools," the statement said. "It is unfortunate that distractions like today’s lawsuit take away from what really matters: the student-athletes."

The lawsuit marks the latest escalation in a dispute first brought into public view last year.

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Fox News Digital reported in May 2025 that the Pacific Legal Foundation and Equal Protection Project had sent a letter demanding that the IHSAA remove race- and sex-based requirements from its board-selection process.

At the time, the bylaws provided for a 19-member board that included two "qualified female representatives" and two "qualified minorities." The groups warned that legal action could follow if the provisions were not removed.

"We hope that IHSAA will do the right thing and voluntarily remedy the discriminatory bylaws provisions, but if it does not, all legal options are on the table," Equal Protection Project founder William A. Jacobson told Fox News Digital at the time.

Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Laura D’Agostino similarly argued that candidates should be evaluated on their qualifications rather than their demographic characteristics.

"Public boards should reflect the talents and commitment of all citizens, not arbitrary categories of race or sex," D’Agostino told Fox News Digital. "Every individual who wants to step up and serve their community should be encouraged to do so based on what they bring to the table, not held back because of who they are."

According to the new complaint, Rokita’s office separately directed the IHSAA in April 2026 to remove its racial quota. The association responded in June that it disagreed with the attorney general’s legal position but would consider the issue during its next round of bylaw amendments in May 2027.

After further correspondence and an Aug. 25 meeting of the IHSAA Executive Committee produced no immediate change, Rokita’s office proceeded with the lawsuit.

The complaint says the IHSAA has used some form of a racial requirement for board membership since 1993. The current definition has remained in place since the association’s 2001-02 bylaws, according to the filing.

The lawsuit targets the two seats reserved for racial minorities. It does not ask the court to eliminate the two board seats designated for female representatives.