Supreme Court upholds state laws banning transgender girls and women from school athletic teamsThe US Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws barring transgender girls and women from competing on female school athletic teams, delivering a major legal victory to Republican-led states and prompting us President Donald Trump to hail the ruling as a "BIG WIN".The court ruled that laws enacted in Idaho and West Virginia do not violate the US Constitution or the federal anti-discrimination law, Title IX.According to Reuters, in a 6-3 decision, the court's conservative majority held that states may continue restricting participation in girls' and women's sports based on biological sex.Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the ruling, “Consistent with Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, we hold that the states may maintain women's and girls' sports for biological females. They may determine eligibility for women's and girls' sports based on biological sex. The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women's and girls' sports throughout America.”Reacting to the verdict, Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, writing: "BIG WIN: The United States Supreme Court just RULED AGAINST MEN PLAYING IN WOMEN'S SPORTS. Wow! That takes that ridiculous situation off the table!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP."The ruling is expected to reinforce similar laws already adopted by more than two dozen Republican-led states restricting transgender athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports, said AP.However, the decision does not settle all legal challenges. Lawsuits against policies in states including Connecticut and California, where transgender athletes are allowed to compete according to their gender identity, remain unresolved.Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered a dissent from the bench, arguing that the majority had wrongly rejected the equal-protection claim brought by 16-year-old West Virginia student Becky Pepper-Jackson. Referring to the evolving scientific understanding of transgender athletes, she said, "We just simply do not know scientifically that transgender students pose dangers."The West Virginia case centered on Pepper-Jackson, who has publicly identified as a girl since the age of eight, has undergone puberty-blocking treatment and possesses a state-issued birth certificate recognising her as female. Her legal team argued that she did not possess the physiological advantages often cited in debates over transgender participation in sport.During the proceedings, Idaho defended its law as necessary to preserve fairness in women's competition. state solicitor general Alan Hurst argued that the measure was "necessary for fair competition because, where sports are concerned, men and women are obviously not the same."The issue has drawn US’ political attention despite the relatively small number of transgender athletes. NCAA president Charlie Baker told Congress in 2024 that he was aware of only 10 transgender athletes among more than 500,000 college competitors. Following Trump's executive order, both the NCAA and the US olympic and paralympic committee barred transgender women from women's sports.The ruling marks another significant Supreme Court decision on transgender rights after last year's judgment upholding state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.