Supreme Court upholds state bans on biological boys in girls’ sports
Fox News reports on the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Idaho and West Virginia laws, effectively banning biological males from participating in girls’ sports. Constitutional law attorney Jonathan Turley and chief legal correspondent Shannon Bream explain that the ruling aligns with the view that transgender status is not a protected class like race or religion, leaving the decision to individual states.
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First lady Melania Trump pointed to a passage from her bestselling memoir Tuesday after the Supreme Court ruled that states may limit women’s and girls’ sports teams to biological females, saying the decision aligns with a position she has long supported.
In a post on X, Trump highlighted a passage from Melania that was published months before the court’s landmark 6-3 decision, which held that states may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports based on biological sex under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause.
“As many of you may know, I fully support the LGBTQIA+ community. But we must also ensure that our female athletes are protected and respected,” the first lady wrote on X, pointing readers to page 156 of her memoir, “Melania.”
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First lady Melania Trump’s comments came just hours after the Supreme Court established a new nationwide precedent. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
“The U.S. Supreme Court has now legally confirmed this opinion: ‘Under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, may schools maintain women’s and girls’ sports for biological females? … The answer is yes,’” Trump continued, citing the court’s decision.
“America, we can support the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and also protect opportunities for female athletes,” she added. “Respect everyone and keep girls’ sports fair. Both ideals are essential.”
The first lady’s comments came just hours after the Supreme Court established a new nationwide precedent allowing states to maintain women’s and girls’ sports teams for biological females.
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In the consolidated cases West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, the justices ruled 6-3 in favor of West Virginia and Idaho, upholding state laws requiring student-athletes to compete on teams that correspond with their biological sex at birth rather than their gender identity.
Writing for the majority, the court held: “Consistent with Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, we hold that the States may maintain women’s and girls’ sports for biological females. They may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports based on biological sex.”
The decision marks a major victory for supporters of so-called “Save Women’s Sports” laws, validating similar legislation enacted in 27 states in recent years. The ruling also clears the way for those states to continue enforcing the laws without the legal uncertainty that surrounded them while the cases moved through the courts.
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Protesters wave transgender pride flags outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey praised the ruling, calling it “a monumental victory for every female athlete who has ever competed, or dreamed of competing, on a fair and safe playing field.”
Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador likewise hailed the decision, saying it confirmed states’ authority to “preserve fair competition and protect the opportunities that generations of women fought to secure.”
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The cases centered on West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act and Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, both of which had been blocked after legal challenges brought by transgender athletes.
Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
