The Supreme Court announced this week it will hear one of the biggest cases of the term in January, weighing whether transgender athletes can be banned from girls’ sports.
The justices said Wednesday they’ll hear two cases on Jan. 13 that deal with state laws out of Idaho and West Virginia that ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports — requiring athletes to compete in sports based on their biological gender.
In both disputes, transgender athletes sued the states, arguing that laws ran afoul of the Constitution.
The first case, Little v. Hecox, involves Lindsay Hecox, who is a transgender athlete who sought to try out for track and cross-country teams at Boise State University.
Ms. Hecox now says she does not plan to play and had moved to dismiss her legal battle before the justices weigh in, but the court rejected that request.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had initially sided with Ms. Hecox, prompting the state to appeal.
About two dozen states have legislation aiming to protect women’s sports.
More than a dozen other states, meanwhile, have policies in place that promote inclusion of transgender and nonbinary athletes, according to TransAthlete.com.
The second case being considered Jan. 13 by the justices is West Virginia v. BPJ.
B.P.J. is Becky Pepper-Jackson, a transgender girl who wants to compete in cross-country and track-and-field races.
In 2024, Becky placed in the top three in every track event she took part in, West Virginia said, bumping several girls off the medal stand. That included winning the shot put and coming in second in the discus.
She challenged West Virginia’s law and won at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, prompting the state to appeal.
Although the cases are argued Jan. 13, rulings are not expected until the end of June.
