Supreme Court weighs states' power to set sex-based rules in school sports
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in two cases that could determine whether states can ban transgender athletes who identify as women from competing on girls’ and women’s...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in two cases that could determine whether states can ban transgender athletes who identify as women from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, a legal fight that could have far-reaching implications on transgender policies across the country. The arguments in the two cases, Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., will examine state bans on transgender athletes participating in school sports under Title IX and the Constitution’s equal protection clause. At issue is whether laws in Idaho and West Virginia that prohibit transgender athletes who identify as women from playing on teams that match their gender identity discriminate based on sex. JUSTICE URGES ‘STAND UP FOR OUR GIRLS’ AS SUPREME COURT WEIGHS FATE OF HIS 'SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS ACT' Lower courts struck down the bans as unconstitutional violations of Title IX and equal protection, and the two Republican-led states appealed to the Supreme Court. "It’s about Title IX. It‘s about equal protection, and it’s also about common sense, but mostly it’s about protecting women in both academia and on the athletic field," West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. The justices will hear each of the cases Tuesday morning beginning at 10 a.m. The high court has set aside an hour for each case, but arguments are expected to run longer as the states, the plaintiffs represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Trump administration each present their positions and answer the justices’ questions. THE ATHLETES, COACHES, LAWMAKERS AND OFFICIALS WHO HAVE PICKED A SIDE IN THE SCOTUS WOMEN'S SPORTS BATTLE In Little v. Hecox, Lindsay Hecox, a biological man who sought to compete on the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University, contended that Idaho’s law, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, violated the equal protection clause by categorically excluding transgender women. West Virginia v. B.P.…