Latest news with #LindsayHecox
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
After UPenn ban, US top court agrees to hear case on transgender athletes
The US Supreme Court on Thursday (local time) announced that it will hear two high-profile cases challenging state bans on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports, just days after the University of Pennsylvania agreed to limit transgender participation under federal pressure. According to a report by The New York Times, the two Supreme Court cases are expected to be heard in the upcoming term beginning in October, with rulings likely by mid-2026. The court's decision to hear the cases—one from West Virginia and one from Idaho—comes amid a rapid acceleration of restrictions on transgender Americans, from sports to the military. UPenn to restrict trans-athlete participation Earlier this week, the University of Pennsylvania reached an agreement with the federal government to restrict transgender athlete participation in response to a civil rights investigation. The case centred around swimmer Lia Thomas, whose participation in NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) women's events ignited national controversy and scrutiny from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The agreement was seen by critics as a significant rollback of transgender inclusion in collegiate sports. Cases being reviewed by Supreme Court The plaintiffs — Becky Pepper-Jackson in West Virginia and Lindsay Hecox in Idaho—are both transgender athletes challenging their states' laws as unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. Pepper-Jackson, a high school student who began transitioning in elementary school and takes puberty blockers, was barred from joining her middle school girls' cross-country team after West Virginia passed a law prohibiting transgender girls from competing on female teams. Represented by the ACLU, she obtained a court order to compete and has since posted competitive results, including a top-three finish in the state discus championship. In Idaho, college runner Lindsay Hecox challenged a 2020 law that bans transgender women and girls from female sports at public schools and universities. A lower court allowed her to continue participating at the club level. The state appealed to the Supreme Court with backing from the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. Justice Dept push for transgender ban in schools sports Since 2020, 27 states have enacted laws restricting transgender athletes in girls' and women's school sports. In February, the Trump administration ordered a withdrawal of federal funding from schools that allow transgender girls to compete on female teams. The US justice department has also signalled potential legal action against public schools that allow transgender athlete participation. Meanwhile, organisations like the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee have attempted to introduce policy frameworks based on testosterone thresholds, though no national or international consensus has emerged. These cases could be historic, as the Supreme Court has never before ruled on transgender participation in school sports. Trump admin bans transgender military service Federal actions have also targeted transgender individuals serving in the US military. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order within days of taking office to ban transgender military service. Although federal courts initially blocked the measure, the Supreme Court last month allowed its enforcement. Since then, the defence department has issued guidance requiring all active-duty transgender service members to voluntarily self-identify by June 6 and reserve members by July 7, or face possible removal.


Fox News
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Women involved in Supreme Court cases over trans athletes open up on fighting historic legal battle
The Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases involving transgender athletes in women's and girls sports Thursday and will make decisions on state laws that prevent biological males from competing on girls and women's sports teams. The two cases, Little v. Hecox and State of West Virginia v. B.P.J., have been brought by former NCAA women athletes who have witnessed the fallout from biological males in women's sports. Former Idaho State University cross-country and track runner Madison Kenyon got involved in Little v. Hecox after having to compete against a trans athlete her freshman year in 2019. "My coach sat us down in the room and told us that we would be competing against a male athlete at a specific meet and just let us know. And I remember sitting there and kind of like, looking around the room being like, 'Well, what do my teammates think about this? What do we do?'" Kenyon told Fox News Digital. "So, for us, it was not a matter of whether I'm going to compete or not. I'm going to put everything out there that I have and see what happens. And sure enough, this male athlete beat me, beat all my teammates and that continued to happen the entire season. So, that's when I said, 'This isn't fair.'" The Little v. Hecox lawsuit was initially filed by Lindsay Hecox, a trans athlete at Boise State University who wanted to join the women's cross-country team. Hecox was joined by an anonymous cisgender female student, Jane Doe, who was concerned about the potential of being subjected to the sex dispute verification process. The U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho granted a preliminary injunction, blocking the law from being enforced because it found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in proving the law unconstitutional. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction, but now the Supreme Court will have an opportunity to intervene. Former Stetson University women's soccer player Lainey Armistead, who is involved in the State of West Virginia v. B.P.J., felt compelled to join a legal battle over the issue after being informed about it and a way to contribute to a lawsuit in the Mountain State. "I heard about the girls and women whose scholarships and opportunities and places on the podium were being taken from them, and I also heard that West Virginia decided to do something about that. And they created the Save Women's Sports Law, and I knew that I wanted to defend that, because, not only for myself, but also forward looking for future girls," The West Virginia v. B.P.J. lawsuit was brought against the state of West Virginia by a trans athlete, referred to as B.P.J., who was initially granted a preliminary injunction allowing the athlete to participate on the school's sports teams. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law violated Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause. Now the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the state's appeal. Arimstead and Kenyon joined their respective lawsuits at a time when national momentum wasn't necessarily trending toward their cause as it does in 2025. But now their efforts have resulted in a chance to influence history on the issue with a pending Supreme Court decision. The Supreme Court's decision in the cases could cast a sweeping precedent whether states have the right to ban trans athletes in women's sports. However, an attorney representing Armistead and Kenyon, John Bursch of Alliance of Defending Freedom, suggested the firm won't lean on the argument that trans athlete laws should be a states' rights issue. He would argue the bigger picture issue. "I don't think we need to do that," Bursch said of making the states' rights argument. "It's clearly the right result under Title IX, under the equal protection clause and under common sense, that men and women are different. So far, 27 states in the U.S. already have laws in place to keep trans athletes out of girls sports, and President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February to apply the same mandate nationally. Bursch believes a Supreme Court decision could ensure his side of the debate maintains momentum. "I think that this trend will continue to grow, and assuming the Supreme Court rules in favor of the states here, you'll see more states adopting these types of protections to keep women safe and level the playing field." No hearing dates have been set for the case, but Bursch expects the first hearing at some point in January. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.


New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Supreme Court will hear cases challenging state bans on transgender athletes
The Supreme Court will hear two cases challenging state laws banning transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports, the court announced Thursday. One of the cases, West Virginia v. B.P.J., involves a 2021 state law banning transgender athletes from girls' public school sports teams. The other case, Little v. Hecox, challenges a similar 2020 law in Idaho. Advertisement In both cases, transgender students sued their respective states, arguing that the bans violate 14th Amendment guarantees of equal protection under the law and Title IX, which bans sex-based discrimination in education. In West Virginia, middle school student Becky Pepper-Jackson sought to run cross-country and track. In Idaho, Lindsay Hecox wanted to join the track team at Boise State University. Both students won injunctions and appeals that allowed them to compete, including in 2023, when the Supreme Court upheld a preliminary injunction allowing Pepper-Jackson to compete while the appeals continued. Now, the Supreme Court will hear the cases. The decision could have sweeping ramifications for more than two dozen states that have similar laws restricting transgender people's participation in sports. The Trump Administration has targeted universities across the country for allowing transgender athletes to compete, saying their competing violates Title IX. In June, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold a Tennessee law banning some medical care for transgender youth, with the three liberal justices in dissent. The decision protects similar legislation in more than 20 states. In May, the Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people in the military to go into effect while appeals continue. The Court will hear the case in its next term, which begins in October, but has not yet set a date for the hearing.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
BREAKING: Supreme Court to decide whether states can ban transgender women & girls from sports
One week after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, the Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear two challenges to state laws that ban transgender students from participating in girls' and women's sports in its next term. The disputes, originating from West Virginia and Idaho, involve athletes Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox, who have won lower-court rulings allowing them to compete. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the two transgender girls, celebrated the announcement. 'Lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play,' the ACLU wrote on social media. Supporters call the bans discriminatory, while state officials argue they protect fairness in women's athletics. Pepper-Jackson, 15, a high school student, takes puberty blockers, while Hecox, a 24-year-old college student, has undergone testosterone suppression and estrogen treatments, NBC News reports. Both previously secured injunctions allowing them to compete in school sports, though Pepper-Jackson's initial court victory was partly reversed before an appeals court reinstated the block on West Virginia's law. Hecox similarly prevailed in lower courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The states' laws define eligibility for girls' and women's teams based on sex assigned at birth, with West Virginia's statute declaring a female as 'a person whose biological sex determined at birth as female.' Idaho's law states that sports 'designated for females, women, or girls should not be open to students of the male sex.' The Supreme Court's decision to intervene comes amid a national wave of legislation restricting transgender rights, with more than half of U.S. states enacting similar sports bans. The cases could determine whether such laws violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education. West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, who supports the ban, also celebrated the court's acceptance of the case on X (formerly Twitter), 'More huge Supreme Court news today! Stay tuned,' he wrote. A decision is expected by June 2026. This story is developing. This article originally appeared on Advocate: BREAKING: Supreme Court to decide whether states can ban transgender women & girls from sports


The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Supreme Court takes blockbuster case on trans student athletes
The Supreme Court will decide whether transgender women and girls can compete in women's sports after taking up yet another case that could have far-reaching impacts for trans Americans. Justices have agreed to hear cases involving two trans students, Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox, who challenged state bans in their respective home states of West Virginia and Idaho. Both athletes — now 15 and 24 years old, respectively — won court-ordered injunctions that blocked state officials from forcing them out of women's sports. This fall, the nation's highest court will hear arguments from both sides over whether those bans are constitutional, with a ruling expected to have nationwide implications. In 2023, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 to temporarily block West Virginia from banning Becky, then 12 years old, from competing on her middle school's track and field team while legal challenges played out. The ruling marked the first time that the justices had weighed in to the nationwide legislative campaign to prevent trans youth from playing in school sports that align with their gender. Her case returns to the Supreme Court two years later, as more than half of U.S. states implement similar laws that categorically ban trans women and girls from competing in women's sports, which have drawn an avalanche of legal challenges to overturn them. At least 27 states since 2020 have banned trans youth from school sports. 'I am not a boy,' Becky wrote in court documents in 2022. 'I do not want to run with the boys when there is a girls' team and I should not have to run with the boys when there is a girls' team. Running with the girls means a lot to me because I am a girl, and I should be treated like a girl, just like all my friends who are girls.' Her coaches and teammates have 'welcomed her participation,' and Becky thinks of them as a 'second family,' according to court briefings. 'Our client just wants to play sports with her friends and peers,' said Lambda Legal senior attorney Sasha Buchert, whose organization represents Becky. 'Everyone understands the value of participating in team athletics, for fitness, leadership, socialization, and myriad other benefits.' Last year, a federal appeals court issued 'a thoughtful and thorough ruling' allowing Becky to continue playing on her school's track team, and 'that well-reasoned decision should stand the test of time, and we stand ready to defend it,' Buchert said. 27 Trans athletes have been at the center of Donald Trump's anti-trans agenda, which fueled the president's campaign and Republican campaigns across the country in 2022 midterm elections and in 2024. Shortly after taking office, Trump signed a sweeping executive order intended to force schools and athletic organizations to ban trans women and girls from competing in women's sports, part of the administration's broader efforts to erase federal protections and recognition of transgender people. The president's order — which falsely categorizes trans women as 'men' — sought to fulfill his campaign promise to end 'the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women's sports' by directing federal law enforcement agencies to take 'immediate action' against schools and associations that 'deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms,' according to a White House document shared with The Independent. During a signing ceremony while surrounded by young girls, Trump claimed that the 'radical left' has 'waged an all-out campaign to erase the very concept of biological sex and replace it with a militant transgender ideology.' 117,400 There are approximately 300,000 young people ages 13 to 17 in the United States who identify as transgender, or fewer than 2 percent of all Americans in that age group, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law. There are fewer than 400,000 Americans ages 18-24 who identify as trans, the institute found. More than 117,000 trans youth live in the 27 states with bans on trans athletes. The case at the Supreme Court accuse states of violating the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause and Title IX, the federal civil rights law banning sex discrimination in schools and education programs. 'Like any other educational program, school athletic programs should be accessible for everyone regardless of their sex or transgender status,' according to Joshua Block, Senior Counsel for the ACLU's LGBTQ & HIV Project. 'Trans kids play sports for the same reasons their peers do–to learn perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and to simply have fun with their friends,' Block said in a statement. '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.' The Supreme Court's decision to take up the case on Thursday comes just two weeks after the court's conservative majority upheld a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for trans young people, paving the way for other states to enforce similar bans.