Labrador Letter: Idaho’s Fight for Women’s Sports Reaches the Supreme Court

Dear Friends,

This week, Idaho had its day before the United States Supreme Court. More than five years after we became the first state in the nation to pass a law protecting women's sports from biological males, nine justices heard oral arguments in Little v. Hecox.

I'm incredibly proud of my legal team for representing Idaho at the highest court in the nation. Solicitor General Alan Hurst delivered strong arguments defending the Fairness in Women's Sports Act and protecting safe, competitive opportunities for Idaho's women and girls.

When Idaho passed this law in 2020, everyone knew it would face legal challenges given it was the first of its kind. When I took office in January 2023, I made defending this law a top priority for our office. I appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court because I knew Idaho was right to protect fairness in women's sports and that the Justices needed to decide it once and for all. The Court agreed to hear our case in July 2025, alongside a similar case from West Virginia, and set those oral arguments for earlier this week.

The arguments focused on whether Idaho's law violates the Equal Protection Clause and how courts should review state policies that distinguish between male and female athletes. Our position is straightforward. Biological differences between men and women are real, measurable, and significant in athletic competition. Idaho's law requires that athletic teams designated for females be based on biological sex at birth.

I was honored to stand with West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, other Republican attorneys general, and female athletes like Idaho State University athletes Madison Kenyon and Mary Kate Marshall, and others in defense of women's sports this week. These athletes understand what's at stake and so do countless families across Idaho who have watched women and girls be forced to compete against biological males who possess inherent physical advantages around the country. These young women have trained for years, sacrificed countless hours, and dreamed of scholarships and championships, only to watch those opportunities slip away because of policies that ignore basic biology.

Idaho's leadership on this issue has helped build a national movement. What began as our lone stand has grown into a coalition of states committed to protecting equal opportunity for women and girls.

My hope is that the Court will affirm common sense protections that ensure women's spaces and sports remain fair, safe, and dedicated to empowering female athletes. The Supreme Court now has the opportunity to resolve the nationwide confusion and protect the integrity of women's sports across America.

I also want to thank State Representative Barbara Ehardt from Idaho Falls for her work sponsoring this legislation and fighting to protect female sports all the way back in 2020. She led this fight before it was popular, and Idaho owes her a debt of gratitude for that.

This moment would not have been possible without the hard work and support of so many in our great state. I'm grateful for that and for the opportunity to be your Attorney General, fighting to protect Idaho families every day.

Best regards,