Updated: Arkansas Leaders Respond to SCOTUS Decision Upholding Fairness in Women’s Sports

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Above: Sen. Irvin announces the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act during a press conference in the Capitol Building on February 25, 2021. The measure passed and became Act 461 of 2021.

On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a good decision upholding state laws that protect fairness in women’s sports.

Several of Arkansas’ leaders issued statements praising the decision.

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R) wrote:

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling was always common sense. Girls deserve a safe and fair environment to compete in, and the Supreme Court was right to protect the integrity of women’s sports. I’m a proud cosponsor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act that would ensure schools don’t allow males to share private spaces with females or compete in women’s sports as a condition of federal funding.”

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R) wrote:

Arkansas was the first state to protect women’s sports from men pretending to be women. Now, the Supreme Court just UPHELD our right to keep men out of women’s sports. This is a huge win for every Arkansan and for common sense.”

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) called the decision, “A victory for common sense. A victory for fairness. A victory for every girl in America.”

Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge said:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a victory for common sense, fairness, and women and girls across America. As Attorney General, I was proud to lead the fight in 2021 to protect women’s sports. Female athletes deserve a level playing field and the opportunity to compete fairly. Boys do not belong in girls’ sports. Period.”

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said:

“The United States Supreme Court has held that West Virginia’s and Idaho’s laws protecting girls and women in school athletics are lawful. This is a commonsense issue about which the vast majority of Americans agree. The Supreme Court has now affirmed that states are well within their authority to prohibit biological males from competing in girls-only athletic competitions, and laws to that effect do not violate the Constitution or Title IX. I co-led an amicus brief with Attorney General Steve Marshall in support of West Virginia’s law, and I applaud the high court’s ruling today.”

Arkansas Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) wrote:

My Fairness in Women’s Sports Act of 2021 is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A great day for girls and for states like Arkansas that passed legislation protecting girl’s sports!

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) also issued a statement, saying:

On March 25, 2021, I signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports bill into law which bans biological males from competing in women’s sports. The Supreme Court today held such laws constitutional. Great news and right decision.

Over the past ten years, female swimmers, powerlifters, cyclists, sprinters, volleyball players, track athletes, and many others have seen their sports radically changed by men who claim to be women.

Concerned Women for America estimates that more than 1,900 male athletes who claim to be female have taken first place medals away from women and girls.

In some sports, letting men compete against women can even be dangerous.

That’s why many states have enacted good laws clarifying that biological males who identify as female cannot compete in women’s athletic programs.

In 2021, Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) preventing male student-athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school.

Family Council was pleased to support Act 461 at the state legislature.

Act 461 was never challenged in court — meaning the law has been in full effect for the past five years, protecting fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas. However, the ACLU challenged similar laws in Idaho and West Virginia. By upholding those good laws, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision makes it clear that Arkansas’ Act 461 of 2021 is constitutional.

Most Americans agree that athletes should compete according to their biological sex — not their gender identity. With that in mind, Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision really is a victory for fairness in women’s sports and a victory for common sense.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

This article has been updated to include statements from Sen. Irvin and former Governor Hutchinson.

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Presidential Commission Issues Draft Report on Ways to Protect Religious Freedom

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As our nation prepares to mark 250 years of independence, the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission has issued a preliminary report on ways the federal government could uphold the free exercise of religion.

Religious liberty is recognized and protected under the First Amendment, and it is one of the hallmarks of our nation. But religious freedom has repeatedly come under attack in court, in government, and elsewhere.

News outlets and congressional testimony have alleged that government policies and government agencies have been weaponized against people of faith — especially conservative and Christian groups.

Last year President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission. The commission is responsible for “producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.”

Over the past twelve months, the commission has heard testimony from Americans who are deeply concerned about protecting the free exercise of religion. In a summary of its draft report, the commission highlighted some of the ways religious freedom has been infringed, writing:

For example, elementary student Shea Encinas was bullied for standing up for his Christian faith when he was forced to read his peer a book that told him he could choose his gender—the school refused to help and doubled down on pushing gender ideology onto the students. Teacher Marisol Arroyo-Castro was told she had to remove a cross near her desk or lose her job. Jennifer Mead’s 11-year-old daughter was pressured by school authorities to believe she was a boy. Navy Seal Blake Martin lost his pension when he was just three years away from retirement eligibility because he objected to the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Eithan Haim was indicted by the Biden Department of Justice for blowing the whistle on Texas Children’s Hospital’s gender mutilation surgeries for minors. Shabbos Kestenbaum was targeted on Harvard’s campus simply for being Jewish. And Lacey Smith was fired from her flight attendant position at Alaska Airlines because she answered the invitation to respectfully share her thoughts on the Equality Act. These Americans have suffered greatly for their religious beliefs.

The commission also released a list of 12 ways the federal government could strengthen religious liberty for all Americans — such as by repealing the Johnson Amendment and by directing federal agencies to “issue ‘Know Your Rights’ Posters for students, parents, public school teachers and administrators, religious leaders, religious institutions, healthcare workers, and military servicemembers.”

People should be free to live and operate according to their deeply held religious convictions. That is why it is so important for our laws — and the government agencies that enforce those laws — to protect religious liberty as much as possible.

Over the years, Arkansas has enacted a number of good laws that do exactly that.

For example, in 2015 Gov. Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, and in 2023 lawmakers passed additional legislation to further strengthen that good law.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 462 protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience. Before 2021, Arkansas’ conscience protections were narrowly written, and they protected very few people. Act 462 helped broaden those protections for all healthcare workers.

Last year, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 400, the Religious Rights at Public Schools Act of 2025. This good law by Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) affirms public school students’ and teachers’ religious liberties.

Lawmakers also enacted Act 677 of 2025 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) ensuring that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions, and Act 970 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) strengthening the healthcare workers’ rights of conscience law Arkansas passed in 2021.

Family Council deeply appreciates our policymakers at the state and federal levels working diligently to protect the free exercise of religion. It’s a fundamental freedom that is truly worth protecting.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Good News: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Fairness in Women’s Sports

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2026

Little Rock, Ark. – On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws protecting fairness in women’s sports.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement praising the ruling, saying, “This is a good decision that makes sure women and girls are not forced to compete against biological males in school sports. Letting males compete in women’s sports is unfair. It erases 50 years of advancements for women and girls. It hurts their athletic and scholarship opportunities as students, and it hurts their professional opportunities as adults. In some sports, it can even be dangerous. Today’s decision is a victory that preserves fairness in women’s sports.”

Cox pointed out that most Americans do not believe girls should be forced to compete against biological males in school sports. “Public opinion polling from Gallup has shown most Americans agree that athletes should compete according to their biological sex — not their gender identity. Protecting fairness in women’s sports is just common sense. Americans understand that, and our federal courts do too.”

Cox said Arkansans should be proud that their leaders have been at the forefront of the effort to protect fairness in women’s sports. “Arkansas was among the first states in the nation to enact a law clearly protecting women’s sports. Act 461 of 2021 by Sen. Missy Irvin and Rep. Sonia Barker prevents male student athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. Family Council was pleased to work with the Arkansas Legislature to support passage of this good law. Act 461 was never challenged in court, but similar laws in West Virginia and Idaho were. Last year, Family Council joined dozens of state policy organizations and more than 200 state legislators — including Rep. Mary Bentley and Rep. Robin Lundstrum from Arkansas — in a legal brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold those laws. Today the Court did exactly that. That is something to celebrate.”

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