rki.news
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday it will hear cases from West Virginia and Idaho that challenge state laws banning transgender student athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
The cases, set to be argued in the next term and likely decided by 2026, will determine whether such bans violate the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment or Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools.
Lower courts previously ruled in favor of the transgender students, finding the bans unconstitutional or unlawful under federal civil rights protections.
This development comes just weeks after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority upheld state bans on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. In that ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that such bans did not violate equal protection or sex discrimination protections, even though the same treatments remain available to cisgender youth.
The upcoming trans athlete cases, among the most closely watched LGBTQ legal battles, mark the second major test of anti-trans laws at the high court level. They are expected to shape future policies on inclusion and sports participation rights for transgender youth nationwide.
No date has yet been set for oral arguments, which will take place this fall.