USA Powerlifting, once in trans athlete lawsuit, supports SCOTUS ruling: ‘Law has caught up with the science’
Supreme Court upholds state bans on biological boys in girls’ sports
Fox News reports on the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Idaho and West Virginia laws, effectively banning biological males from participating in girls’ sports. Constitutional law attorney Jonathan Turley and chief legal reporter Shannon Bream explain that the decision is consistent with the view that transgender status is not a protected class like race or religion, leaving it up to individual states to decide.
USA Powerlifting “welcomed” the Supreme Court’s decision upholding state laws regarding transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of states where biological males sued to gain access to girls’ sports.
USA Powerlifting found itself in the middle of a battle when it was sued by trans lifter JayCee Cooper in 2021 after Cooper was rejected from the women’s team three years ago.
CLICK HERE TO GET MORE SPORTS NEWS ON FOXNEWS.COM
A female powerlifter grasps the bar. (Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images)
And he breathed a sigh of relief after Tuesday’s historic decision.
“The highest court in the land has affirmed what we have advocated for six years: protecting women’s sports is common sense, not discrimination,” Larry Maile, former president of the USAPL, said in a statement. he said. “The law has caught up with the science, and Minnesota is now even more in legal discord. The U.S. Supreme Court is out of sync with overwhelming public opinion and international sports governing bodies.”
A district court ruled in 2023 that the organization discriminated against Cooper, but after an appeal by Cooper and a subsequent cross-appeal, the Minnesota Court of Appeals eventually ruled that Cooper had not been discriminated against.
USA Powerlifting has settled with self-identified transgender male powerlifter JayCee Cooper, who sued the organization for discrimination. (Getty Images)
TRUMP REACTS TO THE SUPREME COURT DECISION ON TRANS ATHLETES
According to Fox 9, the federation opened an “open” category in 2021 “to serve all gender identities.” in Minnesota.
The states were supported by the law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), while transgender athletes were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Cooley Legal.
More than half of the states in the US now have the authority to impose protections on women’s sports without fear of a legal challenge.
But there are still 23 states that do not have such laws, and some of those states have laws designed to protect transgender athletes in girls sports.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold federal funding to states that do not comply with his executive order. Trump froze funding to Maine, but a federal judge ruled the funds must be returned. But now these states are protected by law.
On February 6, Trump signed executive order on young female athletes banning transgender women from competing in female/female sporting events (Getty)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Polls have shown that nearly 80% of Americans do not believe biological males should compete with girls and women.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports streaming on Xand subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
