The U.S. Supreme Court is considering three cases this term that could impact the national landscape of trans rights.
• In Chiles v. Salazar, the Court will decide whether a Colorado law banning anti-LGBTQ “conversion therapy” violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.
• In West Virginia v. BPJ, the Court will decide whether a West Virginia law banning trans girls from girls’ sports teams violates Title IX and/or the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• In Little v. Hecox, the Court may decide whether an Idaho law banning trans women and girls from women’s sports teams violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar on October 7. Arguments in West Virginia v. BPJ will be heard some time after November 12. Most court opinions will be issued in the spring and summer of 2026 — typically, cases that involve more complicated legal questions or more disagreement between Justices take longer to decide.
In Little v. Hecox, the student challenging the law has decided to withdraw her case and stop playing club sports, partly due to “negative public scrutiny” that she feels “will distract her from her schoolwork and prevent her from meeting her academic and personal goals.” This means that the Supreme Court may order the case to be dismissed on procedural grounds, without ruling on the legality of Idaho’s sports ban. The court will make a decision about this procedural issue some time after September 26.
