Overview
- The Court issued a 6–3 decision on June 30 that upheld state laws limiting girls’ and women’s teams to biological females and found those laws do not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause.
- The majority held that Title IX permits sex‑segregated athletics and relied on a 1974 amendment and regulations that allow separate teams when selection is based on competitive skill.
- A majority applied heightened scrutiny under equal protection and concluded the bans were substantially related to important state interests in safety and competitive fairness in sports.
- Justices did not decide whether classifications based on transgender status require heightened constitutional protection and expressly left open whether states must or may allow individual transgender athletes to play on girls’ teams.
- The ruling creates a patchwork of state rules and likely new lawsuits, provoked strong reactions from civil‑rights and conservative groups, and signals that schools and athletic bodies will set most practical eligibility rules going forward.