The Supreme Court announced Thursday it will decide the legality of bans on transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, taking on a contentious cultural issue and potentially opening the door to Republican efforts to implement such bans nationwide.
The justices agreed to hear arguments in two cases, originating from challenges to state laws in Idaho and West Virginia, about whether such bans would violate federal civil rights laws or the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
About two dozen states have laws limiting the ability of transgender women to participate in women’s sports, while the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have sought to use federal funding to curtail policies that allow it.
