BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a high-profile case over the state’s ban on transgender athletes — even though the plaintiff has asked to drop it.
Lindsay Hecox, a 24-year-old transgender student at Boise State University, sued in 2020 after she said she was barred from trying out for the women’s track and cross-country teams under Idaho’s law prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports at schools and universities.
In June 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court injunction allowing Hecox to join BSU’s track and cross-country teams. Hecox has since said she plans to move closer to home after graduation and no longer intends to compete in women’s sports at BSU or anywhere in Idaho.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Hecox, petitioned to dismiss the lawsuit. Labrador argues that’s because, in his words, “they know the strength of our argument.” He says the case should continue to the Supreme Court to secure a ruling that would “protect women’s sports nationwide.”
It is now up to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether to hear the case or dismiss it in line with Hecox’s request.
