Overview
- Oral arguments begin at 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 13 in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. at the U.S. Supreme Court.
- The justices will consider whether state restrictions violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination.
- Lower courts sided with the challengers, with the Fourth Circuit striking West Virginia’s law under Title IX and the Ninth Circuit allowing an Idaho athlete to compete under a temporary injunction.
- Idaho plaintiff Lindsay Hecox has asked the Court to dismiss her case as moot, a threshold issue the justices may address during argument.
- State officials defend the laws as necessary for fairness and safety, the ACLU argues they unlawfully exclude students based on sex, and NCAA president Charlie Baker has testified that fewer than 10 transgender athletes compete in college sports; a decision is expected by late June.