Senate President Petersen Urges US Supreme Court to Protect Women's Sports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                Friday, September 19, 2025

Senate President Petersen Urges US Supreme Court to Protect Women's Sports

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Senate President Warren Petersen is leading Arizona's fight to protect women's sports at the U.S. Supreme Court, urging justices to uphold laws that keep girls' athletics safe and fair.

President Petersen and House Speaker Steve Montenegro are filing amicus briefs in support of Idaho and West Virginia today, as the Court takes up pivotal cases that will determine whether states can preserve the integrity of female athletics by ensuring only biological females may compete.

"These cases give the Court an opportunity to affirm what science and common sense already make clear: biological males hold inherent physical advantages that make women's athletic competitions unfair and unsafe when they are allowed to participate," said President Petersen. "We cannot allow activist judges and radical groups to erase protections that women and girls have fought for generations to secure."

Over half the states in America have enacted legislation to preserve fairness in women's sports. Arizona joined them in 2022 with passage of SB 1165, the Save Women's Sports Act, signed into law by then-Governor Doug Ducey. The law ensures that girls' athletic events at public schools are reserved for biological females.

Despite overwhelming evidence and legislative findings, federal courts have blocked enforcement of Arizona's law and similar laws in Idaho and West Virginia. Opponents argue the laws violate the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, but Republican leaders counter that the Constitution leaves policy decisions about sports participation to legislatures.

"Our daughters deserve the same fair opportunities in sports that their mothers and grandmothers fought to secure," said President Petersen. "This is about protecting truth, fairness, and the very foundation of women's athletics."

Arizona's law remains tied up in federal litigation, with the Legislature itself stepping in to defend the statute after Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to do so. The Supreme Court's rulings in the Idaho and West Virginia cases will directly shape the future of Arizona's law, as well as those in dozens of other states.

For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov