New Delhi, July 4 -- The US Supreme Court agreed on Thursday (July 3) to hear challenges to state laws banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports.

The high court said it will take up appeals involving laws enacted in Idaho and West Virginia that prohibit athletes who were assigned male at birth from competing on female teams in public schools and universities. The cases will be heard during the term that begins in October, with a ruling expected next year.

The court's decision to hear the cases comes amid a wave of legislation across the country and intensifying political debate on the issue.

Idaho's 2020 law, called the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, was blocked by lower courts after a lawsuit by a transgender univer...