The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that states have the power to bar transgender girls from competing on girls' and women's school sports teams. The decision upheld laws from Idaho and West Virginia.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion, joined by the court's other conservative justices. The court held that Title IX permits schools to set eligibility for women's teams based on biological sex.
Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed with parts of the ruling but dissented on others. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurrence stating that men and boys with gender dysphoria are not women or girls.
President Donald Trump called the outcome a "BIG WIN" on Truth Social. The ruling affects laws in more than half the states and follows an executive order Trump issued in February 2025 on the issue.
The cases centered on plaintiffs B.P.J. in West Virginia and another student in Idaho. The court left open whether Title IX requires states to prohibit such participation.
