Supreme Court Rules States May Ban Transgender Girls From Girls' and Women's School Sports
On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the consolidated cases West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox that states may bar transgender girls and women from competing on girls' and women's sports teams at publicly funded schools and colleges. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion, holding that determining eligibility for women's and girls' sports based on biological sex is consistent with Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause. The Court was unanimous that the West Virginia and Idaho laws do not violate Title IX, but divided 6-3 over the constitutional question. The decision upheld laws challenged by transgender students Becky Pepper-Jackson (West Virginia) and Lindsay Hecox (Idaho), handing Republican-led states a major victory in their campaign to restrict transgender participation in school sports.