The US Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a new rule from the Biden administration meant to protect students from discrimination based on gender identity.

The court order issued on Friday rejects a request by the White House to be allowed to temporarily enforce the rule in a number of states.

The ruling is a victory for the Republican-led states that had objected to the rule, and a blow to trans rights activists.

However, the order does not settle the issue and allows legal challenges to continue in lower courts.

The new federal rule issued by the Biden administration in April expands the parameters of a 1972 law known as Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in schools that receive funding from the federal government, including most universities.