Donald Trump has welcomed a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States upholding state laws that restrict transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s school sports, describing the decision as a major victory.

Reacting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump celebrated the judgment, saying it ended what he called an unacceptable situation involving transgender participation in female sports.

In a 6-3 ruling issued on Tuesday, the Supreme Court determined that the US Constitution does not prohibit states from enforcing laws requiring athletes to compete based on their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity. However, the justices were divided on whether such laws violate federal anti-discrimination protections under Title IX.

The decision effectively allows states such as Idaho and West Virginia, along with more than two dozen other states that have enacted similar legislation, to continue enforcing their restrictions on transgender athletes in public schools and colleges.

Writing for the majority, Brett Kavanaugh said state legislatures and educational institutions are better positioned than the courts to weigh the medical and scientific issues surrounding the matter and determine appropriate policies.

The judgment marks another significant victory for conservative-backed policies on transgender issues and follows an earlier Supreme Court decision that upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.

The legal challenge was brought by transgender students who argued that the state laws violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause as well as Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.

Supporters of the restrictions argue that they are necessary to ensure fair competition and preserve athletic opportunities for girls and women. Opponents, however, contend that the measures unfairly target a small and vulnerable group of students, turning school sports into a politically charged issue.

One of the cases originated from Idaho’s 2020 Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which was challenged by a transgender university athlete after lower courts ruled against the law. During arguments before the Supreme Court, Alan Hurst maintained that biological sex remains the key factor in athletic competition because of physical differences such as strength, muscle mass and lung capacity.

The second case involved a transgender teenage girl in West Virginia who was prevented from competing on her middle school’s girls’ track team under a 2021 state law. Her legal team argued that transgender girls undergoing testosterone-suppressing treatment do not retain an unfair competitive advantage and described the restrictions as politically motivated rather than evidence-based.

The ruling comes after Trump previously signed an executive order titled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, directing federal agencies to support policies limiting transgender participation in female sporting events. His administration has also challenged state policies that permit transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.

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