Super Bowl Champion Coach and Legendary Athletes Back Female Athletes in Supreme Court Battle
Barry Switzer, Super Bowl champion coach, along with 31 Olympians, has signed an amicus brief supporting the preservation of women's sports ahead of two pivotal Supreme Court cases, Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. BPJ. The brief includes a total of 124 signatures, among them 12 Olympic medalists, with eight gold medalists. Included in the list of signees are renowned athletes such as Martina Navratilova, Kerri Walsh-Jennings, Summer Sanders, Donna de Varona, Nancy Hogshead, Laura Wilkinson, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique Lamoureux-Morando, Rhi Jeffrey, and former NFL quarterback Steve Stenstrom.
Notable participants also include athletes who have competed directly against transgender athletes, like Stephanie Turner, Macy Petty, Monika Burzynska, Wendy Enderle, Cissy Cochran, and Angie Griffin. The brief argues that laws in Idaho and West Virginia protect women’s sports by shielding female athletes from both mental and physical harm, preserving equal opportunities on a level playing field.
In contrast, a parallel amicus brief from 130 Democratic lawmakers backs transgender athletes. This brief is led by Representative Becca Balint, Representative Teresa Leger Fernández, and Senator Mazie Hirono. Other signees include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Hakeem Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi, though Senators John Fetterman and Chuck Schumer are notably absent.
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments for both cases on January 13 in Washington, D.C. The case of Little v. Hecox originated in 2020 with Lindsay Hecox seeking to join Boise State’s women’s cross-country team. Idaho’s law, which restricts transgender athletes’ participation in female sports, was initially blocked, with the Ninth Circuit upholding this injunction in 2023 before the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
West Virginia v. BPJ involves Becky Pepper-Jackson, where the Fourth Circuit ruled that the state's law violated Title IX. The Supreme Court will hear the state's appeal in this significant dispute over transgender athletes’ eligibility in women’s sports.
