Overview
- The justices heard back-to-back arguments in challenges to Idaho’s and West Virginia’s laws, testing Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.
- Several conservatives, including Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts, questioned imposing a nationwide rule and indicated support for states’ authority to preserve sex-based team categories.
- Becky Pepper-Jackson’s lawyers urged a fact-specific approach that could send her case back to lower courts, while Lindsay Hecox has sought to withdraw after stopping participation in covered sports.
- The Trump administration argued that Title IX and equal protection permit sex-separated athletics, aligning with Idaho and West Virginia in defending the bans.
- Lower-court injunctions remain in place for the plaintiffs as the Court’s ruling, expected by early summer, could influence policies beyond sports, including bathroom access and identification documents.