Supreme Court to Hear Cases on Girls’ Sports

January 12, 2026

Supreme Court to Hear Cases on Girls’ Sports

TOPLINE: On January 13, 2026, the Supreme Court will hear two cases in which state laws protecting girls’ and women’s sports have been challenged. The numbers make clear that males should not be competing in female sports.

Boy swimmers become competitive with the world’s best women swimmers in their teens.

Virtually every swimming National Age Group (NAG) 13–14-year-old boys’ long course meters (“LCM”) record is faster than the women’s world records in the same events.
- 200-meter individual medley:
  - Boy’s 13-14 age record is 2:03.73
  - Summer McIntosh’s World Record: 2:05.70
- 800-meter freestyle
  - Boy’s 13-14 age record: 7:59.62
  - Katie Ledecky’s (widely considered the greatest women’s swimmer of all time) World Record: 8:04.97

Thousands of men have exceeded the Women’s World Records in running events:

Martia Koch holds the Women’s World Record for 400 meters with a time of 47.60.
- At least 3,804 different men have run the 400 meters in 46.50 (over one second faster). World Athletics stops recording men’s times before reaching the Women’s Record.
The Women’s World record for 5,000 meters is 14:00.21.
- The American high school boys’ record is 13:25.86.
- At least the top 10 high school boys’ times exceed the women’s world record.
Tigst Assefa is the only woman to ever break 2:12 in a marathon with the record of 2:11:53.
- Men have matched or exceeded her record 8,855 times.

Middle of the pack male athletes take podiums from women when allowed to compete in Women’s Sports.

In 2021, Will Thomas was ranked 554^th in the NCAA Men’s 200-meter freestyle. Next year under the name “Lia Thomas,” he was 5^th in the nation in the Women’s 200-meter freestyle and was given the nod by the NCAA over Riley Gaines, with whom he tied.
Although ranked 65^th nationally against men, Thomas “won” the 500-meter freestyle in 2022 when competing against women, depriving now two-time Olympian Emma Weyant of the top trophy.

Dig Deeper: See AAF’s full amicus briefs in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.

BOTTOMLINE: The distinction between girls and boys when it comes to athletic competition is not arbitrary. The Supreme Court should ensure that states can continue to protect girls’ and women’s sports.

View as a PDF here: 1.12.2026 Men in Women’s Sports Memo

For more information, please contact AAF General Counsel Marc Wheat at mwheat@advancingamericanfreedom.com