Senate President Warren Petersen is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold state laws that restrict participation in girls’ athletics to biological females. Petersen, a Republican who was elected to represent Arizona’s 14th Senate District in 2023, is filing amicus briefs along with House Speaker Steve Montenegro in support of similar laws from Idaho and West Virginia.
“These cases give the Court an opportunity to affirm what science and common sense already make clear: biological males hold inherent physical advantages that make women’s athletic competitions unfair and unsafe when they are allowed to participate,” said President Petersen. “We cannot allow activist judges and radical groups to erase protections that women and girls have fought for generations to secure.”
More than half of U.S. states have passed legislation aimed at maintaining fairness in women’s sports. Arizona enacted its own law, SB 1165—the Save Women’s Sports Act—in 2022, which was signed by then-Governor Doug Ducey. The statute reserves girls’ athletic events at public schools for biological females.
However, federal courts have blocked enforcement of these laws in Arizona, Idaho, and West Virginia. Opponents argue that such measures violate the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, while Republican leaders maintain that legislatures should decide policy on sports participation.
“Our daughters deserve the same fair opportunities in sports that their mothers and grandmothers fought to secure,” said President Petersen. “This is about protecting truth, fairness, and the very foundation of women’s athletics.”
Arizona’s law remains under federal litigation after Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to defend it; the Legislature has stepped in as a result. The Supreme Court’s decisions on the Idaho and West Virginia cases are expected to influence the future of similar statutes across multiple states.
Petersen replaced David Gowan as senator for Arizona’s 14th District after being elected in 2023.
For more information, contact Kim Quintero, Director of Communications for the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus at kquintero@azleg.gov.
