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The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that USA Powerlifting’s (USAPL) decision to reject a biological male trans athlete from competition in the women’s category was “discrimination.”
USA Powerlifting has now responded, criticizing the court’s decision.
“Our goal since litigation commenced against USA Powerlifting in 2021 was to present all the facts and evidence of our actions to a jury,” the organization said in a statement to OutKick. “We are pleased that both of Minnesota’s state appellate courts agree we have a right to present a claim of business discrimination to a jury and look forward to offering our evidence toward that end.”
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The Minnesota Supreme Court made a ruling in a powerlifting case. (Fox News Digital)
USAPL also praised the decision to let one of its claims proceed. The ruling sent part of the case back to a lower court to determine whether USA Powerlifting has a “legitimate business purpose” for excluding the trans athlete.
“Our goal since litigation commenced against USA Powerlifting (USAPL) in 2021 was to present all the facts and evidence of our actions to a jury,” the organization said. “We are pleased that both of Minnesota’s state appellate courts agree we have a right to present a claim of business discrimination to a jury and look forward to offering our evidence toward that end.”
The trans athlete, JayCee Cooper, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021, alleging the organization engaged in discriminatory practices after rejecting the athlete’s application to compete in the women’s division in 2018, arguing it violated Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.
After a lower court initially sided with Cooper in 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court, saying there were “genuine issues of fact” about whether USA Powerlifting excluded Cooper because of the athlete’s transgender identity and whether the organization had a “legitimate business reason” for doing so.
The state’s Supreme Court then decided to take up the case in July 2024.
The court’s ruling Wednesday said “USA Powerlifting’s policy at the time of the decision was to categorically exclude transgender women from competing in the women’s division.”
“Because USA Powerlifting’s facially discriminatory policy provides direct evidence of discriminatory motive, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually motivated USA Powerlifting’s decision to prohibit Cooper from competing. We therefore reverse the part of the court of appeals’ decision on this issue,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote in Wednesday’s opinion.
“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.”
USAPL claims it acted for “legitimate reasons.
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USAPL acted for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons to promote fairness in the sport when determining that Ms. Cooper should not compete in the women’s division due to her male physiology,” USAPL’s statement continued.
“Ms. Cooper was born biologically male and went through puberty as a male. According to unrebutted scientific research, males have up to a 64% strength advantage in powerlifting and suppressing testosterone only reduces the advantage by about 10%. This difference in outcomes makes it fundamentally unfair for a male-to-female transgender powerlifter to compete in the women’s division.”
USAPL also pointed to data suggesting most Americans support protecting women’s sports from trans athletes and the fact that the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its athlete safety policy to only allow females in women’s sports.
“A 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll found 79% of Americans oppose allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports,” the organization noted. “Since the Minnesota Supreme Court heard oral arguments in our case, the U.S. Olympic Committee has barred transgender female athletes from competing in women’s events, and the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that the term ‘woman’ applied to biological females.”
The court’s decision was unanimous. Five of the seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, and the other two were appointed by former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.
Minnesota Republicans have condemned the court’s decision.
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Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally on October 22, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth issued a statement decrying the ruling.
“For decades, women and girls fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed under Title IX. Sadly, those hard-won protections have increasingly come under attack, and today’s decision marks another setback in the fight to protect girls’ sports,” Demuth said.
“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. House Republicans are ready to act in the first weeks of next year’s legislative session to make clear that girls’ sports are for girls.”
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