The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 upheld laws in Idaho and West Virginia that prohibit transgender girls and women from competing on female school sports teams, according to a report from the Associated Press.
In a decision expected to influence similar laws across the country, the court’s conservative majority ruled that the state bans do not violate either the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause or Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
The cases arose from challenges to laws in Idaho and West Virginia brought by transgender students Lindsay Hecox, a former college athlete in Idaho, and Becky Pepper-Jackson, a West Virginia high school student who sought to compete on her school’s girls’ track team.
Lower federal courts had ruled in favor of both athletes, finding the laws likely violated Constitutional protections and Title IX, but the Supreme Court reversed those decisions.
The ruling is expected to strengthen similar laws already enacted in more than two dozen Republican-led states, many of which have faced legal challenges. Opponents say the bans discriminate against trans students and exclude them from school activities.
Tuesday’s decision continues the court’s recent pattern of allowing state governments to impose restrictions on their transgender residents.
The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp that prohibits trans women and girls from playing on female sports teams in public elementary schools, high schools, and colleges.
