WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia’s state and federal leaders are praising Tuesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the state’s law restricting transgender girls from competing on girls’ and women’s school sports teams, calling the ruling a major victory for female athletics and state authority.
The Supreme Court ruled that states may enforce laws designating school sports teams based on biological sex, upholding statutes in both West Virginia and Idaho.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said the decision protects fairness in women’s sports.
“I applaud the Supreme Court for upholding West Virginia’s common sense law to protect girls’ sports,” Capito said. “I believe strongly that allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports undermines the very fairness and protections Title IX was designed to provide.”
Capito added that she would continue “championing this issue for young girls across West Virginia” and congratulated state leaders on what she called “the decisive victory today.”
West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey described the ruling as a landmark decision.
“This is a monumental victory for every female athlete who has ever competed, or dreamed of competing, on a fair and safe playing field,” McCuskey said. “Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms what common sense and the law have long made clear: states have the right to designate sports teams based on biological sex, not gender identity.”
McCuskey said the decision “will give all states, not just West Virginia, the clarity and confidence to ensure fairness and safety for female athletes today and for generations to come.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who originally brought the case to the Supreme Court while serving as West Virginia’s attorney general, called the ruling historic.
“Today’s decision will be remembered as one of the most important victories for women’s athletics since the enactment of Title IX itself,” Morrisey said.
He said he pursued the case because he believed “protecting women’s sports was consistent with the Constitution and a matter of basic fairness.”
Morrisey added that “West Virginia stood its ground” and said the ruling ensures “future generations of female athletes will benefit from the certainty, fairness, and opportunity this decision protects.”
U.S. Sen. Jim Justice also welcomed the decision.
“You train these girls to play by the rules, respect the game, and give it everything they’ve got,” Justice said. “SCOTUS made sure those rules stay fair for my team and female athletes everywhere.”
U.S. Rep. Riley Moore called the ruling “a major victory for sanity, women’s sports, and protecting our girls.”
“Men do not belong in women’s sports,” Moore said. “No girl should lose her chance at victory or safety because of ideology over biology.”
Moore also said he was proud that the bipartisan congressional amicus brief he led helped defend West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act.
U.S. Rep. Carol Miller said the decision protects opportunities for female athletes.
“The Supreme Court has upheld state laws protecting women’s sports,” Miller said. “This ruling ensures our young women have a fair, level playing field, without being forced to compete against men.”
Miller added that “it is wonderful to see West Virginia leading the way to secure this major win for women and girls athletics across the country.”
