Supreme Court set to rule on 2 cases that could reshape women’s sports nationwide
Caroline MolloyThe U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue decisions by late June or early July in two major women’s sports cases that could determine whether dozens of states may enforce laws that bar male athletes from competing against women and girls.
Both Little v. Hecox (Idaho) and West Virginia v. B.P.J. ask whether such laws violate the Equal Protection Clause, and the West Virginia case also questions the application of Title IX. The court heard oral arguments in January on the set. As Zeale News previously reported, several justices said during the hearing that biological differences between men and women can affect competition, and reports released at the time suggested the court appeared likely to side with the states.
The Idaho case began in 2020 after the state enacted its Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which bars men from competing on women’s sports teams in public schools and colleges. The law prevented Lindsay Hecox, a male student from Boise State University who identifies as “transgender,” from trying out for the women’s track and cross-country teams.
After the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, Hecox sought to dismiss the lawsuit, saying he no longer wanted to participate in women’s sports teams, but a federal district court denied his request, as Zeale News previously reported.
