The Minnesota Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision this week, ruling that USA Powerlifting discriminated against transgender athlete JayCee Cooper by barring her from women’s competitions. The unanimous ruling, announced on October 22, 2025, reaffirms transgender athletes’ rights under Minnesota’s Human Rights Act, though it leaves the door open for further legal battles over the issue of fairness in sports.
JayCee Cooper’s journey to this moment began six years ago, when, in 2019, she was denied entry into a women’s powerlifting competition hosted by USA Powerlifting. Cooper, then about 30 years old, filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and, in 2021, escalated her fight by filing a discrimination lawsuit. In 2023, a Ramsey County judge ruled in her favor, finding that USA Powerlifting’s policy violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws, which explicitly protect gender identity. The case eventually made its way to the state’s highest court, which agreed to hear it in July 2024.
Wednesday’s ruling is being described as a historic victory for transgender rights in Minnesota. "We agree with Cooper that USA Powerlifting’s policy is discriminatory on its face; there is therefore no genuine dispute that USA Powerlifting discriminated against Cooper because of her transgender status," wrote Chief Justice Natalie Hudson in the court’s opinion, as reported by Bring Me The News and Star Tribune.
Gender Justice, the Minnesota-based LGBTQ rights organization that represented Cooper, celebrated the outcome. Jess Braverman, the group’s legal director, stated, "This ruling sends a clear and powerful message: transgender people have a right to enjoy public spaces in Minnesota like sporting events, restaurants, and movie theaters, free from targeted discrimination. This decision is a historic victory for fairness, equity, and the fundamental rights of all Minnesotans."
State Representative Leigh Finke, herself a transgender woman, echoed those sentiments on social media, calling the ruling a "very powerful win" and thanking Cooper for her courage in pursuing the case.
Yet, the decision is more nuanced than initial celebrations might suggest. The Minnesota Supreme Court focused narrowly on Cooper’s specific case, affirming that the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) protects transgender people from discrimination based on gender identity, but stopping short of issuing a sweeping order that would affect all athletic organizations or resolve the broader national debate. The court remanded the case to Ramsey County District Court to determine whether USA Powerlifting’s policy could be justified by a "legitimate business purpose," as the law allows exemptions if such policies are reasonably necessary for an organization’s central mission and no reasonable alternatives exist.
USA Powerlifting has long maintained that its policy is necessary to preserve fairness and integrity in women’s competitions. "Absolutely, and because we think we’ve got a bona fide business reason, which is maintaining fairness in competition," said Ansis Viksnins, attorney for USA Powerlifting, to the Associated Press. Former USA Powerlifting President Larry Maile added, "We have multiple competition categories, and they’re based on age and scholastic status, ability, level and particular lifts. So we make distinctions among different routes based on the possibility of an equal footing for everybody." The organization argues that transgender women powerlifters have "increased body and muscle mass, bone density, bone structure and connective tissues," and that these physiological differences could impact the integrity of competition.
While the Supreme Court did not rule on whether these arguments are sufficient to justify the policy, it did affirm that such exemptions must be considered separately in lower courts. Jess Braverman of Gender Justice emphasized that the court’s ruling on public accommodations stands regardless of future business claims: "But it would only apply to the business claim, not to the public accommodations claim. The public accommodations claim will not be unraveled. These are two separate claims, and so even if they win on the second, it does not change the fact that they discriminated and it was illegal."
This legal battle is unfolding against a backdrop of increasing national tension over transgender participation in sports. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order barring transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, and the federal government has taken aim at Minnesota’s policies. The U.S. Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services have accused Minnesota—specifically its Department of Education and State High School League—of violating Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs, by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. The state was given a 10-day deadline to resolve the alleged violations or face enforcement action, a deadline that passed with no known repercussions due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has vowed to fight the federal government’s position in court, arguing that banning transgender athletes from high school competitions would directly conflict with the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision, however, does not directly address high school or collegiate sports, focusing instead on public accommodations rather than Title IX. This means future legal challenges in the educational arena are likely, and the outcome could hinge on further court decisions, possibly even from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Political reactions in Minnesota have been sharply divided. Supporters of transgender rights have hailed the ruling as a major step forward. "While we celebrate this victory, we remain vigilant," said Braverman of Gender Justice. "Across the country, anti-trans legislation and legal battles continue to threaten the rights and freedom of trans people. We will continue to fight for a world where everyone can compete, belong, and thrive without fear of discrimination."
Meanwhile, Republican leaders in the state have sharply criticized the court’s decision. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, stated, "This issue is ultimately about safety and fairness, and Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree that their daughters and granddaughters should not be forced to compete against boys." Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, called the ruling "a violation of common sense as well as both state and federal law," and accused Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison of waging "a war against women."
Earlier this year, a bill seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports failed in the Minnesota House, reflecting the ongoing and deeply polarized debate over the issue.
As the case returns to Ramsey County District Court to determine whether USA Powerlifting’s policy serves a legitimate business purpose, the broader legal and political battle over transgender participation in sports is far from settled. For now, JayCee Cooper’s victory stands as a milestone in Minnesota’s ongoing journey toward equity and inclusion, even as new challenges loom on the horizon.
