News Release
For Immediate Release: June 30, 2026
Contacts:
True North Legal: https://truenorthlegal.org/contact/media-inquiry
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Idaho and West Virginia Laws Protecting Women’s and Girls’ Sports
True North Legal and Kansas Family Foundation Represent Idaho Representative Barbara Ehardt and 206 Female Legislators in Victory for Female Athletic Opportunity
St. Paul, MN — Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark ruling upholding Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act, affirming that states may protect female athletic opportunities by ensuring that eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports is based on sex consistent with Title IX. The laws are also consistent with the Court’s Equal Protection jurisprudence.
Representative Barbara Ehardt of Idaho, the author and principal sponsor of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, was represented by True North Legal and Kansas Family Foundation in an amicus brief joined by 206 female legislators and 38 Family Policy Councils from across the country. These leaders urged the Court to preserve fairness, safety, and opportunity for women and girls by upholding state authority to maintain sex‑based athletic categories.
The Court’s ruling confirms what these legislators and organizations have long argued: embodied biology—not gender identity—determines competitive athletic advantage, and states have both the right and responsibility to protect equal opportunity for female athletes.
For years, female athletes in Idaho and across the nation faced unfair competition when males identifying as females were permitted to compete in women’s sports. Idaho enacted its law to restore fairness, but the ACLU sued, and the Ninth Circuit struck the law down. Today’s Supreme Court decision reverses that ruling and restores clarity and consistency to Title IX’s original purpose based on biological sex.
Legislators across the country who authored, sponsored, and championed these laws celebrate today’s decision as a decisive affirmation that women’s sports matter and that female athletes deserve a level playing field. They also recognize that girls’ athletic opportunities are formative experiences that build leadership, character, and confidence—opportunities that must not be erased.
Rep. Barbara Ehardt, former Division I NCAA basketball player, coach, and author and principal sponsor of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act celebrated the ruling:
“When I first introduced the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in 2020, I said it would go to the Supreme Court—and today, the Court upheld what Title IX always intended. This is a victory for every girl and woman who simply wants a fair opportunity to compete. The highest Court in the nation has affirmed what has always been: biology matters and that girls & women matter and because of this, women’s sports must be protected.”
Renee Carlson, General Counsel for True North Legal and co‑author of the brief, praised the decision:
“Today’s ruling is a significant step toward justice for women and girls across the country. The Court has affirmed that states may safeguard fairness, opportunity, and safety in women’s and girls’ sports. The laws enacted in Idaho and West Virgina, and other similar laws in states across the country, allow everyone to play sports who can make the team or qualify for the competition according to that individual’s sexed body—based on biology, and for good reason. Male athletes hold clear physiological advantages in strength, speed, and lung capacity. That’s not an insult to women and girls; it’s science. This decision protects not only podiums and scholarships, but the lifelong lessons and confidence that come from fair competition. We are honored to represent the Rep. Barbara Ehardt and the 206 female state legislators from across the country and the 38 state policy groups who have fought tirelessly for this outcome.
The Supreme Court’s decision today also sends a message to progressive leadership in Minnesota—now is the opportunity for the current administration to seize the ‘What is a Woman?’ moment and stop pretending that biology is optional. Minnesota now has the green light to protect women’s sports.”
Brittany Jones, President of Kansas Family Foundation and co‑author of the brief, emphasized the national significance:
“For more than fifty years, our nation has recognized the importance of women’s and girls’ sports and celebrated the achievements of female athletes. Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that truth. These laws—like those passed in Idaho, West Virginia, and Kansas—reflect the biological reality that embodied athletes play sports, not identities. This ruling ensures that states can protect girls’ opportunities for generations to come.”
The amicus brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court can be found here.
For more information about our work and mission, please visit truenorthlegal.org or kansasfamilyvoice.com.