Supreme Court rules against West Virginia law barring transgender athletes

April 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that transgender student athletes may compete on woman's sports teams in West Virginia, upholding a lower court's challenge to anti-trans legislation passed in 2021.

West Virginia House Bill 3293, known as the Save Women's Sports Act, says that teams must be comprised based on the "biological sex" of athletes.

Shortly after Republican governor Jim Justice signed the law in 2021, advocates backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lamda Legal sued on behalf of transgender student Becky Pepper-Jackson, and a district court blocked the law.

Earlier this year, another district court ruled in favor of the state, saying the law could be enacted. Pepper-Jackson's legal team then appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which blocked the law once more.

Last month, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed an emergency request to the U.S. Supreme Court asking them to rule on the bill.

"This is a procedural setback, but we remain confident that when this case is ultimately determined on the merits, we will prevail," Morrisey said in a statement following the Supreme Court's ruling.

While the law has been on hold, Pepper-Jackson has participated in her school's track and cross-country teams.