STM Daily News
Supreme Court rules against trans girls participating in single‑sex sports, but leaves open larger questions of trans rights
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2026, that West Virginia and Idaho did not violate the Constitution by preventing transgender students from joining female sports teams, and that states can restrict who participates on women’s and girls sports teams based on a student’s sex assigned at birth.
Marie-Amelie George, Wake Forest University
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2026, that West Virginia and Idaho did not violate the Constitution by preventing transgender students from joining female sports teams, and that states can restrict who participates on women’s and girls sports teams based on a student’s sex assigned at birth.
This ruling, focused squarely on transgender students participating on single-sex sports teams, does not resolve other major questions that are important to trans rights. These issues include what bathrooms transgender or nonbinary students can use at school, as well as whether transgender individuals can update their names and gender markers on identity documents.
The court folded two related cases that address sports team participation at the middle, high school and college levels – Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. – into one single decision that resolved both. The justices ruled 6-3 on the cases.
This ruling backs 25 other states that, over the past few years, have passed new laws restricting transgender students from participating on female sports teams.
Twenty-one states also have some sort of restriction on transgender and nonbinary students using school bathrooms designated by sex.
As a legal scholar and expert on LGBTQ+ rights, I believe that based on the court’s reasoning, it is likely that the conservative majority on the court would uphold states’ right to restrict school bathroom use based on sex assigned at birth. However, this ruling leaves bigger questions regarding transgender students’ broader rights in school, at work and elsewhere unanswered.
A political flash point
There were estimated to be fewer than 10 transgender athletes who participated in collegiate athletics in 2024.
But the issue of transgender students participating on sports teams is a hot-button issue for the Trump administration and Republicans, who argue that transgender female students have a biological advantage in competitive sports over athletes assigned female at birth.
The issue is nuanced and depends on factors including the athletes’ age and whether they have undergone gender-affirming hormonal therapy.
Some recent research shows that transgender female athletes who have undergone gender affirming hormone therapy have a comparable level of strength to cisgender female athletes.
What the rulings covered
At issue in these two Supreme Court cases were what protections Title IX – which bars sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funding – as well as the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment gave transgender students.
Little v. Hecox challenged Idaho’s 2020 law that allows only students whose sex was designated female at birth to participate on girls and women’s school sports team.
Lindsay Hecox, a transgender female student at Boise State University, alongside a cisgender student, filed a lawsuit against the state in 2020. Hecox, now 24, could not try out for the school’s track and cross country team because of the law. She instead ran at the club level.
In West Virginia v. B.P.J., a transgender middle school student athlete named Becky Pepper-Jackson similarly sued the state so she could continue participating in track and field. Pepper-Jackson won a state title in girls shot put in May 2026.
The state’s 2021 Save Women’s Sports Act requires public middle schools, high schools and colleges to designate all school athletic teams by biological sex.
Understanding Title IX and how it applies
The Supreme Court determined that states are permitted to restrict sports team participation under Title IX and its regulations, which explicitly permit schools to have separate male and female sports teams.
The opinion started by emphasizing there are “enduring” physical differences between males and females, and that if there were unified sports teams, females could be at a disadvantage.
“Separate sports teams for biological males and biological females are reasonable: Given the inherent physical differences between the sexes, allowing only biological females to play on women’s and girls’ teams can reduce the risk of physical injury and ensure fair competition,” the court ruled in its opinion on West Virginia v. B.P.J., authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett joined the ruling.
Pepper-Jackson argued that this part of Title IX did not have relevance to her case because she had taken puberty blockers and never gone through male puberty.
As a result, she argued, she did not have heightened levels of testosterone or other physical differences that could raise the concern of a competitive advantage over cis female students in sports. She also posed no physical safety concerns for her teammates.
The court’s majority rejected this argument, saying that the Title IX regulations did not speak to this issue. The court recognized that although the laws might produce unfair results for someone like Pepper-Jackson, this did not make the restrictions improper.
The court added that Pepper-Jackson and other students in her position need to take up their concerns with state legislatures.
The court’s liberal wing – Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – agreed with the conservative majority that the laws did not violate Title IX.
The role of the equal protection clause
The court also addressed the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says that the government must apply its laws fairly and cannot treat people differently without a valid reason.
The court’s conservative majority ruled that the laws distinguished based on sex, and as a result they scrutinized the laws more carefully. However, the court concluded that the athletic restrictions nevertheless passed constitutional muster.
Here, too, the court’s majority cited the interests of safety and competitive fairness as important justifications for the laws.
The liberal justices disagreed with their colleagues’ analysis. In their view, the laws were too broad to satisfy the Constitution, because they banned transgender girls who had never experienced male puberty from female sports teams.
A side step
The decision is a narrow one. The court went to great lengths to emphasize that it was focused on sports, and that the court was not being asked about transgender people’s rights more broadly.
In the court’s telling, sports are unique because competition depends on the physiology and physical differences between those assigned male and female at birth. That is important, because there are few circumstances in which the physical differences between males and females continue to be relevant.
In the past, many occupations and schools were sex-segregated. Today, bathrooms, school sports teams, changing facilities, some college residence halls, juvenile detention centers and prisons are among the last places that remain segregated by sex.
Moreover, the court avoided ruling on the constitutional standard that should apply when transgender people are discriminated against. Under constitutional doctrine, courts will more closely scrutinize laws that discriminate against historically powerless minority groups, such as people of color and women.
One of the open questions in transgender rights litigation is whether transgender people qualify for that more searching review.
This case did not resolve that issue.
The court’s narrow ruling on transgender athletes ultimately did not resolve other key issues for transgender rights, which the court will likely be asked to address at a later date.
Marie-Amelie George, Associate Professor of Law, Wake Forest University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Local News
Maricopa Boil Water Advisory Lifted After Negative E. Coli Tests
Maricopa boil water advisory lifted: Global Water–Santa Cruz Water Company customers in Maricopa can resume normal tap water use after follow-up testing found no E. coli.
MARICOPA, Ariz. — A precautionary boil water advisory for Global Water–Santa Cruz Water Company customers in the city of Maricopa was lifted Thursday, October 8, after repeat testing found no E. coli in water samples. The utility announced the cancellation at approximately 2 p.m. Arizona time.
The advisory was issued October 7 after two preliminary tests indicated possible contamination. Customers were temporarily instructed to use bottled water or boil tap water for at least one minute before drinking it or using it for food preparation.
With follow-up results negative, affected customers no longer need to boil water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes, according to the utility.
The advisory affected the utility’s customers in the city of Maricopa, located in Pinal County. It was not a countywide warning for Maricopa County or Phoenix.
Residents can visit Global Water Resources’ official notice page for updates or call 866-940-1102 with questions.
STM Daily News
Woman Charged With Felony Animal Cruelty in Santa Ana Puppy Killing
Santa Ana Puppy Killing: Prosecutors have filed felony charges against a 75-year-old Anaheim woman accused of deliberately running over and killing her puppy, Blackey, in Santa Ana.
Last Updated on October 3, 2026 by Daily News Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 75-year-old Anaheim woman accused of deliberately running over and killing her puppy on a Santa Ana street has now been formally charged with felony animal cruelty, marking a major development in a case that drew widespread attention after surveillance video was released by police.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday, October 2, that Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, of Anaheim, has been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty, one felony count of animal abuse by a caretaker, and a felony enhancement alleging the personal use of a weapon — a vehicle — to kill the animal.
Nguyen was arrested by Santa Ana police on Thursday, October 1, after investigators used automated license plate reader technology to identify the green Honda Odyssey seen in surveillance footage from the September 8 incident. Police subsequently located Nguyen and found the minivan at her Anaheim residence.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Nguyen was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail. She is scheduled to appear at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on November 2, 2026, in Department C55.
Surveillance video led to investigation
The case began on September 8 at approximately 9:15 a.m., when Santa Ana Animal Services officers responded to a report of a dead black-and-white male pit bull-mix puppy on West Park Lane.
Surveillance footage obtained during the investigation showed a woman removing the puppy from a minivan and placing food near the driver’s side of the vehicle. Authorities allege the woman then slowly drove forward as the puppy approached the food, running over the animal with the vehicle’s rear tire before leaving the scene.
The puppy, identified by authorities as Blackey, died.
The District Attorney’s Office describes Blackey as a 9-week-old puppy. Earlier statements and local news reports described him as approximately 9 months old.
Santa Ana police released surveillance footage of the incident on September 30 and appealed to the public for help identifying the driver.
Within a day, investigators said automated license plate reader technology helped them trace the Honda Odyssey to Nguyen. Police found the vehicle in her garage and took her into custody.
Police previously said Nguyen acknowledged owning and abandoning Blackey. According to the Los Angeles Times, a Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson said Nguyen told detectives she had left the puppy because he had been annoying her boyfriend by biting his shoes and belongings. Police said she acknowledged abandoning the dog but did not admit to intentionally running him over.
Prosecutors file felony charges
The filing of felony charges moves the case beyond the initial police investigation and into the Orange County court system.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the alleged killing in announcing the charges and said his office intends to prosecute acts of violence against animals.
Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman of the Orange County District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit is prosecuting the case.
Nguyen is accused of the offenses and has not been convicted. The allegations against her will now be addressed through the court process.
Her next scheduled court appearance is November 2.
STM Daily News will continue following the case and provide updates as additional information becomes available.
Source and Related Links
- Orange County District Attorney — October 2 charging announcement
- The DA’s release is the strongest source for this update. It provides case number 26CF4923, the exact charges, $20,000 bail, November 2 court date and the prosecutor assigned to the case. Orange County District Attorney
- For corroborating coverage, CBS Los Angeles reports the arrest, use of automated license-plate readers and the subsequent felony charges. CBS News
- CBS Los Angeles — arrest and charges update
- NBC Los Angeles — felony charges update
Local News
Santa Ana Police Seek Woman Accused of Intentionally Running Over Puppy
Santa Ana police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman accused of intentionally running over and killing a puppy with a minivan on September 8.
Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by Daily News Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. — Santa Ana police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman accused of deliberately running over and killing a puppy after leaving the animal in a residential street earlier this month.
The disturbing incident occurred at approximately 9:15 a.m. on September 8, 2026, in the 900 block of West Park Lane, near 926 W. Park Lane. Police said the dog, described as a pit bull mix puppy, was later found dead in the street.
Investigators subsequently obtained home-surveillance footage showing an older-model green or blue Honda Odyssey minivan stopped along the street.
According to police, the female driver opened the vehicle’s door and placed the puppy on the ground. The puppy went underneath the minivan, and the woman then allegedly placed food on the street near the driver’s side of the vehicle.
As the puppy approached the food, the driver moved the minivan forward. Police said the vehicle’s rear driver’s-side tire went over the puppy and that the minivan remained stopped on the animal for approximately 15 seconds before the driver drove away.
A nearby resident later told officers that they had seen the minivan in the area and believed the puppy had been deliberately run over. Police and animal services personnel spent several weeks canvassing the neighborhood and eventually located surveillance footage that authorities said corroborated the witness’s account.
Police searching for driver
Investigators have not been able to obtain a readable license plate from the surveillance footage.
As of September 30, Santa Ana police were seeking information that could help identify either the woman or the older green or blue Honda Odyssey seen in the video.
Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Santa Ana police at 714-245-8378.
The case comes two years after another highly publicized animal-cruelty incident in Santa Ana involving a woman accused of intentionally running over a 2-month-old Rottweiler puppy in August 2024. In that case, the puppy survived after emergency treatment, and the suspect subsequently turned herself in to police.
STM Daily News will update this story if authorities announce an identification, arrest or charges in the case.
Sure and Related Links
Los Angeles Times — “Santa Ana Police search for woman who appears to deliberately run over puppy in disturbing video”
Los Angeles Times report
CBS Los Angeles — “Santa Ana police seek minivan driver who allegedly intentionally ran over puppy”
CBS Los Angeles report
NBC Los Angeles — “Female driver wanted for ‘intentionally’ running over a puppy in Santa Ana”
NBC Los Angeles report
MyNewsLA — “Santa Ana Police Seek Help Woman Who Fatally Struck Puppy”
MyNewsLA report
