There are Supreme Court rulings and there are Supreme Court rulings described by a sitting Democratic governor as having “very little impact” the same day they take effect in 29 states, and Tuesday produced the second kind, along with a gracious response from Melania Trump.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Tuesday to uphold state laws banning transgender girls and women from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, finding that such bans do not violate the Constitution’s equal protection guarantees. The decision affects active legislation in 29 states. The ruling does not affect transgender athletes in states without bans, which means it has significant impact in exactly half the country, beginning immediately, on the day it was announced. According to Breitbart, Melania Trump issued a statement saying she was “proud of the Supreme Court for upholding the sanctity of women’s sports,” which is the most words Melania has publicly said about anything since the inauguration.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker appeared on CNN Tuesday and said the transgender sports issue is Republicans focusing on “something that has very little impact,” per Fox News, which is an accurate description of the number of transgender athletes relative to the total athlete population and a less accurate description of the impact of a Supreme Court ruling on 29 states. Pritzker also said Illinois would not comply with the ruling, which is the kind of constitutional position that has historically worked out poorly for states and produced exciting follow-up litigation.
JD Vance described the ruling as “a total vindication” of the administration’s position, which is a description of a 6-3 vote, meaning one justice in the other direction and the vindication is a dissent. Justice Sotomayor, writing in dissent, described the majority as having “turned its back on transgender youth,” which is the kind of language that produces campaign fundraising emails for both sides simultaneously and which both sides were sending within 40 minutes of the ruling.
Separately, a Fox News poll published Tuesday showed incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins leading Democrat Graham Platner in the Maine Senate race by a margin described as narrow. Platner, who has a Nazi tattoo he describes as a mistake, is within striking distance of a sitting senator in a state that Trump won by 14 points in 2020 and which he lost by more than 9 points in 2024. The poll did not ask respondents about the tattoo.
When the governor of a large state describes a Supreme Court ruling that takes effect in 29 states as having very little impact, what exactly is the governor of Illinois watching?
Sources
Fox News: Supreme Court makes ruling on trans athletes in women’s sports
Fox News: First lady cites memoir after Supreme Court upholds state laws reserving girls’ sports for biological females
HuffPost: Melania Trump Wraps Pride Month With Mixed Message To LGBTQ Community
HuffPost: Supreme Court Delivers Blow To Trans Kids In Ruling On Sports Bans
Breitbart: Supreme Court upholds state laws banning transgender girls and women from school athletic teams
