Spanberger Office Withholds Up to 100 Records on Women's Sports Petition Withdrawal
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 5
Spanberger Office Withholds Up to 100 Records on Women's Sports Petition Withdrawal
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 5
Summary
Fewer than 100 records tied to Virginia’s decision to drop a women’s sports rulemaking effort were withheld in response to a FOIA request, with Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s office denying access to every document it found.
The office cited executive privilege, attorney-client privilege and Virginia’s exemption for gubernatorial working papers and correspondence, saying the records consist of correspondence and deliberative materials.
A narrower follow-up request for emails from employees outside specifically exempted officials also produced nothing, with the governor’s office saying the requested records could not be found or do not exist.
The underlying petition—filed in April 2025 and approved 14-0 in August 2025—sought to restrict male participation in female sports and access to female-only spaces, but the Board of Health withdrew it on July 30.
Spanberger later said there was no legal authority to continue the rulemaking, though the office’s FOIA response did not say whether any nonexempt portions of records or attachments could be released.