The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court’s 2009 dismissal of a lawsuit by a men’s sports advocacy group that fought James Madison University’s 2006 decision to eliminate seven men’s teams and three women’s teams. Equity in Athletics, the advocacy group, had argued that James Madison “overdid its elimination of male athletes," violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Lawrence J. Joseph, one of the group’s attorneys, wrote in a statement, “EIA is disappointed that the panel did not agree with its positions, but we intend to appeal, either in the form of requesting reconsideration in the Fourth Circuit or asking the Supreme Court to hear the case.”