Supreme Court upholds bans on transgender girls in school sports, 6-3

The ruling

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws that bar transgender girls and women from competing on female school athletic teams. The 6-3 decision, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, found that bans in Idaho and West Virginia do not violate Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education. All nine justices agreed on that point, but the court's three liberal members argued the laws deny equal protection under the Constitution. Kavanaugh cited safety and fair competition, pointing to physical differences between the sexes. The majority also held that states need not conduct case-by-case assessments for athletes who have taken puberty blockers or hormones, calling such evaluations impractical.

The plaintiffs

The two cases involved Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 16-year-old West Virginia high school sophomore who has identified as female since age 8 and won a state shot put championship, and Lindsay Hecox, who sued for the right to try out for women’s track at Boise State in Idaho. Hecox did not make the team, but her lawyer argued she competed in club sports. Pepper-Jackson had progressed from a back-of-the-pack middle school runner to a statewide champion, beating the second-place finisher by two feet.

She was too slow.

Reactions

President Donald Trump celebrated the ruling as a “big victory” on social media, while first lady Melania Trump added that she supports LGBTQ rights, saying both ideals are important. West Virginia Attorney General JB McCaskey called it a win for common sense, providing clarity to protect fairness and safety for female athletes. The Human Rights Campaign's president, Kelly Robinson, decried it as heartbreaking for transgender students who are sidelined for being themselves. Prominent athletes had split on the issue: tennis great Martina Navratilova and others backed the bans, while soccer star Megan Rapinoe and basketball’s Sue Bird supported the transgender plaintiffs.

Broader context

More than two dozen Republican-led states have passed similar bans since Idaho’s pioneering law in 2020. The decision strengthens their legal footing, effectively extending the bans nationwide. It follows a 2025 ruling that let Tennessee bar minors from gender-transition care, part of a broader push by conservative states and the Trump administration. Left unresolved are challenges in Connecticut, California, and other states that allow transgender athletes to compete consistent with their gender identity.