---
title: "Supreme Court upholds state bans on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports"
description: "The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states may bar transgender girls and women from female school and college sports teams, a 6-3 decision that resolves a closely watched clash over Title IX, equal protection and the rights of transgender students."
category: "Politics"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/politics
author: "Priya Sharma"
published: 2026-06-30T15:14:00.000Z
updated: 2026-06-30T15:14:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/scotus-transgender-athletes-sports-ban-ruling
tags: ["supreme-court", "transgender", "sports", "title-ix", "united-states"]
---
# Supreme Court upholds state bans on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states may bar transgender girls and women from female school and college sports teams, a 6-3 decision that resolves a closely watched clash over Title IX, equal protection and the rights of transgender students.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws that bar transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams in schools and colleges, ruling 6-3 that such measures do not violate the Constitution or federal law.

## What the Court decided

The ruling came in two cases — *Little v. Hecox*, involving an Idaho law, and *West Virginia v. B.P.J.* — that asked whether states may set eligibility for girls' and women's sports based on a person's sex at birth. Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh held that they may. "The States may maintain women's and girls' sports for biological females," he wrote, adding that they "may determine eligibility for women's and girls' sports based on biological sex" consistent with Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in education, and the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, [as reported by Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/supreme-court-makes-ruling-trans-athletes-womens-sports) and [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-transgender-athletes-ban-west-virginia-idaho/).

The Court's three liberal justices dissented. They argued that singling out transgender students for exclusion amounts to unlawful discrimination — a view the majority rejected, reasoning that Title IX itself contemplates sex-separated teams.

## The athletes who sued

The challenges were brought by two transgender athletes. Lindsay Hecox, a transgender woman, had sought to run track and cross-country at Boise State University in Idaho. The West Virginia case was brought on behalf of Becky Pepper-Jackson, a transgender teenager identified in court papers as B.P.J., who had competed on her school's girls' teams. Their lawyers argued the bans denied them the chance to play alongside their peers.

## A wider legal landscape

More than two dozen states have passed laws restricting transgender athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports in recent years, and the decision settles a question that had divided lower courts. It also follows the Court's 2025 ruling in *United States v. Skrmetti*, which upheld a state ban on certain gender-affirming medical care for minors — part of a series of cases in which the justices have addressed transgender rights.

## Reaction on both sides

Supporters of the laws, including the states that defended them, welcomed the decision, framing it as a victory for fairness and safety in female sports and arguing that physical differences can give transgender competitors an advantage. Groups that backed the bans said the ruling protects opportunities for women and girls.

Opponents condemned it. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the athletes, and other advocacy organizations said the laws discriminate against transgender young people and exclude them from an important part of school life. They warned the decision could embolden further restrictions and leave transgender students more vulnerable.

The ruling leaves some questions unresolved, including how the principles apply to younger, recreational or co-ed sports. But on the central issue, the Court was clear: states are free to keep girls' and women's teams open to those who are female by birth.