Supreme Court agrees to hear two transgender student athletics cases
July 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday it will hear the cases of two transgender students who seek to play sports in their home states, which both ban transgender students from participating in girls or women's sports.
Becky Pepper-Jackson of West Virginia and Lindsay Hecox of Idaho have challenged such bans and had previously won injunctions that permit them to play on teams for girls and women.
"We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the Save Women's Sports Act because it complies with the U.S. Constitution and complies with Title IX," said West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey Thursday. "And most importantly: it protects women and girls by ensuring the playing field is safe and fair."
The ACLU said in a press release Thursday that the "two cases charge the bans with violating the rights of transgender and cisgender female students under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."
"In addition, West Virginia vs. [Becky Pepper-Jackson] argues that the bans violate Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs," the statement continued. "Federal courts have blocked enforcement of these bans in both lawsuits."
Pepper-Jackson, 15, receives puberty-blocking medication, while Hecox, 24, has received testosterone suppression and estrogen treatments.
The court granted petitions for writs of certiorari for both their cases, for which oral arguments are expected to happen later this year, with rulings anticipated to come down by June of 2026.
The court's decision to hear the case comes two weeks after its conservative majority ruled to uphold a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for young people.
"Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth," said ACLU lawyer Joshua Block, who is part of the legal team that represents both students on Thursday.
"We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play," he added.
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