On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up cases from Idaho and West Virginia that could shape how school sports are governed across the country, including Arizona.
The cases focus on a central question: Should school sports teams for girls be limited to biological females, or should transgender students be allowed to play on those teams?
The rulings could have direct implications for Arizona, which passed its own school sports law in 2022.
That law, known as the Save Women’s Sports Act, states that girls’ school sports teams from elementary school through college are reserved for students based on biological sex.
Right now, it's tied up in court and is not fully in effect statewide.
Supporters say it is meant to protect fairness and equal athletic opportunities for girls. Opponents argue it discriminates against transgender students.
But Arizona’s involvement in the Supreme Court cases goes beyond watching from the sidelines.
After the law passed, Arizona’s Senate President Warren Petersen said that Attorney General Kris Mayes chose not to defend it in court.
That's why he and other legislative leaders stepped in, filing an Amicus legal brief asking the Supreme Court to consider Arizona’s position as it reviews the Idaho and West Virginia cases.
Amicus briefs allow justices to review how a ruling could affect states that are not directly involved in the litigation.
Petersen is expected to be at the Supreme Court as the cases are considered.
A decision is expected later this year.
