West Virginia Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's decision upholding state laws restricting transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports, calling it a landmark victory for female athletes and Title IX.

"Today's decision will be remembered as one of the most important victories for women's athletics since the enactment of Title IX itself," Morrisey said in a statement posted on X after the high court ruled in West Virginia v. B.P.J.

Morrisey noted he initiated the legal fight while serving as West Virginia attorney general, arguing the state's law was rooted in constitutional principles and basic fairness.

"Years ago, as Attorney General of West Virginia, I brought this case to the Supreme Court because I knew that protecting women's sports was consistent with the Constitution and a matter of basic fairness," he said.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho that require public school and college athletic teams to be designated according to biological sex, allowing the states to bar biological males who identify as transgender from competing on female teams.

The ruling overturns lower court decisions that had sided with transgender students challenging the laws.

The decision clears the way for the 25 other states with similar laws to continue enforcing restrictions on transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports.

The Trump administration backed both states during the litigation, arguing the measures protect fairness and safety for women and girls.

Morrisey said the ruling ensures Title IX's protections remain intact.

"The protections established under Title IX remain meaningful, the integrity of women's sports remains worth preserving, and states retain the authority to defend fair competition," he said.

He added that the decision reaches far beyond West Virginia.

"This began in West Virginia, but its impact reaches every corner of the country," Morrisey said. "Future generations of female athletes will benefit from the certainty, fairness, and opportunity this decision protects."

The governor also praised the legal teams that defended the law over several years, including West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, for seeing the case through to its conclusion.

Opponents of the ruling criticized the decision.

Advocates for Trans Equality said on Facebook that its legal team was reviewing the opinion while reaffirming its support for transgender youth.

"We will never stop fighting to protect and expand trans rights," the organization said.

The ruling marks the latest in a series of Supreme Court decisions backing restrictions involving transgender issues.

It also represents another legal victory for President Donald Trump's administration, which has made protecting women's sports and limiting transgender participation in female athletics a central policy priority during his second term.