Overview
- During arguments in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., a conservative majority questioned extending prior transgender-rights precedent to school athletics.
- Chief Justice John Roberts distinguished the Court’s 2020 Bostock ruling, asking whether a sex-based team rule necessarily targets transgender status.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh described team selection as a zero‑sum context and highlighted potential displacement of cisgender girls, while liberal justices floated as‑applied exceptions.
- State lawyers emphasized sex-based classifications for fairness and safety, as plaintiffs argued hormone treatment erases relevant physiological advantages and that blanket bans violate equal protection and Title IX.
- The deputy U.S. solicitor general urged a narrow decision, Hecox has asked to dismiss her case as moot, and final rulings expected in June or July could influence laws in roughly two dozen states.