The 2025-2026 Supreme Court term begins today, October 6, 2025 and is expected to be contentious due to the political nature of the cases the Court has agreed to hear. Everyone loves the party game “Two Truths and a Lie.” Can you identify which of the following statements about the 2025-2026 Supreme Court term is a lie?
A. The Supreme Court will decide whether states can ban males from competing in girls and women’s sports.
B. The Supreme Court will hear around 500 cases with full oral argument this term.
C. The Supreme Court will decide if banning conversion therapy for minors is constitutional.
Let’s take these statements one at a time:
A. TRUTH! The Supreme Court will hear two cases involving state laws that ban males from participating in female sports. In West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Hecox v. Little, the Court will decide whether states may designate sports teams based on biological sex without violating the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX. Like 25 other states, West Virginia and Idaho require that women’s athletic teams be designated based on sex, not gender identity. By hearing these cases and establishing a legal precedent, the Supreme Court will settle this issue that is long overdue.
B. LIE! The Court receives about 7,000-8,000 petitions each term, but only grants and hears oral arguments in about 70 cases. Four of the nine Justices must agree to take a case for it to be heard. The upcoming term will hear cases involving executive power, federal regulatory power, election law, campaign finance, immigration, gun control and “gender identity.”
C. TRUTH! The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Colorado’s Conversion Therapy Law for minors in Chiles v. Salazar. The law prohibits mental health professionals from counseling gender confused minors to be comfortable with their bodies and avoid harmful drugs and procedures. The Court will decide if the law violates freedom of speech since it allows counseling conversations that push minors toward a gender identity different from their sex but prohibits conversations that help them grow comfortable with their sex when they desire to do that.
Bottom Line: The 2025-2026 Supreme Court term promises to be one for the books. The high stakes cases involve politically charged issues and the Court’s decisions will define legal precedent and impact the nation’s laws, politics and culture.