Supreme Court rulings on transgender athletes, birthright citizenship draw reactions in Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two Supreme Court decisions issued Friday prompted sharply different reactions from advocacy groups, lawmakers and legal observers in Pennsylvania, with one ruling addressing transgender athletes in school sports and the other reaffirming birthright citizenship.

In a 6-3 decision, the court upheld state bans that prohibit transgender girls from participating in girl's and women's sports.

The ruling was welcomed by Pennsylvania Republican state Rep. Barbara Gleim, who has introduced legislation as part of the Fairness in Women's Sports Act.

READ MORE | Supreme Court upholds state laws banning transgender girls, women from athletic teams

"We are very excited and happy," Gleim said.

She said supporters of the legislation plan to push for action at the local level.

"We will be advocating for school districts to have those policies. We will be writing letters to the PIAA," Gleim said.

The decision was met with disappointment from transgender rights advocates, including the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

SEE ALSO | Supreme Court rejects Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship

"What the ruling said today was states have the option of banning trans girls and women from sports. It didn't say they are banned," said Naiymah Sanchez, senior organizer for the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

Sanchez said advocates intend to continue their efforts on behalf of the transgender community.

"We have to be vigilant. We have to be aware of what's happening in our legislature," she said.

The Supreme Court also struck down President Donald Trump's executive order that would have banned birthright citizenship, reaffirming the precedent that children born in the United States are American citizens.

Amanda Shanor, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the ruling was consistent with established constitutional law.

"In many ways, they're just upholding the law in the Constitution as it is. It would have been a much bigger deal if they had gone the other way," Shanor said.

Republican leaders criticized the outcome.

"I was very disappointed with the outcome. I think it subjects the country to very serious challenges going forward," said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Immigrant rights advocates praised the decision. Jasmine Rivera, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, called it an important affirmation of constitutional protections.

"There is at least this bright line that even those in power in this country are not willing to cross," Rivera said.

Shanor said the timing of the birthright citizenship ruling was notable.

"They just had a string of opinions aggressively expanding executive power and this one is going to take the headline," she said.

Both the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition said they plan to continue advocating for their communities following the court's decisions. The ACLU is continuing to educate the public about rights and the process of filing discrimination complaints.

Gleim, meanwhile, said she hopes the ruling on transgender athletes will give her legislation renewed momentum as reactions continue to emerge.