Key facts
- Republican state officials are confident the Supreme Court will rule in favor of state bans on transgender girls participating in women's sports.
- West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey predicted a strong majority ruling, potentially including votes from liberal justices.
- Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador also expressed optimism about a favorable outcome.
- The ruling will address whether states can legally bar transgender girls from competing in girls' and women's school sports teams.
- Transgender athletes argue these bans violate the 14th Amendment and Title IX.
- A recent state championship win by a transgender athlete in West Virginia has fueled arguments for the bans.
Republican state officials are expressing strong confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold state bans on transgender girls participating in women's sports.
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey predicted an 8-1 or 7-2 ruling in favor of the bans, noting he was encouraged by Justice Elena Kagan's questioning during oral arguments. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador also conveyed optimism, though he admitted to being more superstitious about predicting outcomes.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether states can legally bar transgender girls from competing on girls' and women's school sports teams, a decision that will affect bans in approximately two dozen states. Transgender athletes argue these bans violate the 14th Amendment's equal protection guarantee and Title IX. Proponents, however, argue that allowing transgender girls to compete creates an unfair advantage.
This argument has been amplified by the recent state championship win in shot put by Becky Pepper-Jackson, a transgender girl challenging West Virginia's ban. McCuskey highlighted Pepper-Jackson's victory as an example of biological males competing against biological females, though he also referred to the athlete as a child and used female pronouns.
The Supreme Court is set to release more opinions on Thursday, with a decision on the transgender athlete bans anticipated by early July.