Supreme Court Upholds Girls' Sports Protections After Arizona Legislature Backed West Virginia, Idaho Before Nation's Highest Court
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Senate President Warren Petersen is welcoming today's landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding laws that protect girls' and women's sports after leading Arizona's effort to defend those protections before the nation's highest court. The ruling affirms that states may preserve separate athletic competitions based on biological sex, protecting fairness and opportunity for female athletes.
The decision comes in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, two closely watched cases challenging state laws reserving girls' and women's athletic teams for biological females. Last year, the Arizona Legislature, through Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Steve Montenegro, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Save Women's Sports Acts in West Virginia and Idaho, urging the justices to uphold states' authority to protect girls' sports based on biological sex.
The Republican-led Arizona Legislature has long been a national leader on this issue. President Petersen co-sponsored Arizona's Save Women's Sports Act, making Arizona one of the first states in the nation to protect athletic opportunities for biological females. When Arizona's law was challenged in Jane Doe v. Warren Petersen and Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to defend it, President Petersen intervened on behalf of the Legislature to defend the law in court. After the Arizona Legislature filed an amicus brief supporting West Virginia's Save Women's Sports Act, Petersen traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend oral arguments with West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey and Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador as the Supreme Court considered the case.
"This is a win for common sense and, more importantly, a win for girls," said President Petersen. "Every young woman deserves the opportunity to compete on a level playing field and earn a roster spot, a championship, a record, or a scholarship based on her hard work. Girls shouldn't have to lose those opportunities because adults are afraid to acknowledge biological reality. That's not fairness, and it's not what Title IX was created to do. Arizona has been leading on this issue for years, and we were proud to stand with West Virginia and Idaho before the U.S. Supreme Court to defend girls' sports. Today's decision makes it clear that states can continue protecting the integrity of women's athletics and the opportunities generations of women fought so hard to secure. This is a victory for every girl who dreams big, works hard, and deserves the chance to compete fairly."
Today's decision provides important legal certainty for Arizona and the growing number of states that have enacted similar protections. It also reinforces the original purpose of Title IX by preserving meaningful athletic opportunities for women and girls while affirming that states may recognize biological differences when establishing athletic competition.
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For more information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus