Supreme Court Concludes Oral Arguments in Historic Transgender Rights Hearinghttps://www.aclu.org/press-releases/supreme-court-concludes-oral-arguments-in-historic-transgender-rights-hearing 🔗ACLU Press Release (13 Jan 2026)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court today held oral arguments in two landmark cases challenging state laws banning transgender youth from participating in interscholastic and intercollegiate sports. Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Legal Voice filed two challenges, West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox, on behalf of two transgender female athletes – one in West Virginia and one in Idaho – who were categorically barred by West Virginia and Idaho state law from participating on the girls' and women's sports teams at their schools.
Attorneys for the two transgender athletes argued today that the bans violate the rights of transgender and cisgender female students under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In addition, in West Virginia v. B.P.J. they argued that West Virginia's ban violates Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs. Federal courts have blocked enforcement of these bans in both lawsuits.
"Becky simply wants to be with her teammates on the track and field team, to experience the camaraderie and many documented benefits of participating in team sports," said Sasha Buchert, Counsel, Nonbinary & Transgender Rights Project Director, Lambda Legal. "It has been amply proven that participating in team sports equips youth with a myriad of skills – in leadership, teamwork, confidence, health. On the other hand, denying a student the ability to participate is not only discriminatory, but harmful to a student's self-esteem, sending a message that they are not good enough and deserve to be excluded. That is the argument we made today and that we hope resonated with the justices of the Supreme Court".
