Minnesota

Minnesota Supreme Court hands legal win to transgender athletes

Published

2 months ago

October 22, 2025

Minnesota Supreme Court hands legal win to transgender athletes

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that USA Powerlifting discriminated against transgender athlete JayCee Cooper by barring her from competing in the women’s division.

Why It Matters

The justices found the organization’s policy violated the state’s Human Rights Act, which protects individuals from discrimination based on gender identity.

However, the court sent part of the case back to a lower court to decide whether USA Powerlifting has a “legitimate business purpose” for its exclusion. The decision marks a significant victory for LGBTQ+ advocates while keeping a narrow path open for the sport’s governing body to defend its policy.

Transgender people’s participation in sports, especially in school athletics, has been a contentious issue across the nation.

A total of 29 states ban transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity, though some bans have been blocked by court orders, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

Last month, the civil rights offices at the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services said the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League are violating Title IX “by allowing males to compete in female sports and occupy female intimate facilities.”

Minnesota Supreme Court Rules For Transgender Athletes: What We Know

The LGBTQ+ rights group Gender Justice, which represents Cooper, said the court issued a landmark ruling and affirmed that transgender athletes have the right to compete in sports without discrimination under the state’s Human Rights Act.

“This ruling sends a clear and powerful message: transgender people have a right to enjoy public spaces in Minnesota like sporting events, restaurants, and movie theaters, free from targeted discrimination,” Jess Braverman, Legal Director at Gender Justice, said in a statement sent to Newsweek. “This decision is a historic victory for fairness, equity, and the fundamental rights of all Minnesotans.”

The justices said that the law carves out a “legitimate business purpose defense,” and said there is a “genuine dispute of material fact” on whether “seeking to ensure competitive fairness in an athletic competition” qualifies under the law.

USA Powerlifting attorney Ansis Viksnins called it a partial victory for both sides in comments to the Associated Press. Viksnins said the ruling means they will get to tell a jury “why excluding a transgender woman from competing in the women’s division was for legitimate reasons, for maintaining fairness in athletics.”

Who is JayCee Cooper?

Cooper is a transgender Minnesotan weightlifter. USA Powerlifting rejected Cooper’s application in 2018 to compete in its women’s division. Cooper sued in 2021, and the trial court sided with her.

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 her transgender identity and whether the organization had a “legitimate business reason” behind the rejection.

What People Are Saying

Jess Braverman, Legal Director at Gender Justice, said in a statement sent to Newsweek: “While we celebrate this victory, we remain vigilant. Across the country, anti-trans legislation and legal battles continue to threaten the rights and freedom of trans people. We will continue to fight for a world where everyone can compete, belong, and thrive without fear of discrimination.”

USA Powerlifting attorney Ansis Viksnins, in an interview with the Associated Press: “Our opponents like to spin losses as victories and victories and victories, so I’m not surprised that they are claiming this is a victory.”

What Happens Next

The justices ordered trial court must now consider USA Powerlifting’s argument “that fair competition opportunities for similarly situated athletes is a legitimate business reason.”

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.

Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.

Source link

Click to comment

Minnesota

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

Published

11 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

article

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Temperatures dropped into the negative Saturday, with the coldest temperatures in the morning.

How cold it got in Minnesota Saturday

By the numbers:

Here is how cold the temperatures got in Minnesota:

Hinckley: -20 degrees
Bemidji: -20 degrees
Ely: -18 degrees
Brainerd: -18 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -18 degrees
Hibbing: -17 degrees
International Falls: -17 degrees
Duluth: -16 degrees
Alexandria: -12 degrees
St. Cloud: -12 degrees
Cambridge: -11 degrees
Grand Marais: -10 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -6 degrees
Red Wing: -6 degrees
Morris: -6 degrees
Hutchinson: -5 degrees
Rochester: -5 degrees
Mankato: -3 degrees
Windom: 0 degrees
Marshall: 0 degrees

Here are the lowest wind chills across Minnesota from Saturday:

Bemidji: -37 degrees
Ely: -35 degrees
Duluth: -34 degrees
Brainerd: -32 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -32 degrees
Hibbing: -31 degrees
Alexandria: -29 degrees
Hinckley: -27 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -24 degrees
St. Cloud: -24 degrees
Willmar: -22 degrees
Cambridge-21 degrees
Grand Marais: -21 degrees
Hutchinson: -21 deegres
Morris: -20 degrees
Faribault: -18 degrees
Mankato: -18 degrees
Marshall: -17 degrees
Red Wing: -16 degrees
Owatonna: -16 degrees
Windom-12 degrees

Cold continues Sunday

What’s next:

The Twin Cities are under a cold weather advisory that is expected to last through Sunday morning, so residents should prepare for frigid conditions if they have plans to be outdoors.

Sunday will be slightly less frigid with temperatures climbing above zero. However, it will still feel like 10 below zero in the afternoon.

Milder and warmer temperatures are expected to return for the work week.

Winter WeatherMinnesota

Source link

Minnesota

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

Published

24 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

The Minnesota Wild made an all-in move for one of the NHL’s best players in his prime, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade — their boldest action yet toward ending a decade-long skid of playoff series defeats.

The teams announced the seismic move on Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks. Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebuilding Vancouver to complete the deal.

The trade was the second major swap of the day, after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.

Rossi (24), Ohgren (21) and Buium (20) fit the mold of the young talent the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were going to trade Hughes. Rossi (2020), Ohgren (2022) and Buium (2024) were all recent first-round draft picks by the Wild.

“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Hughes had no trade-blocking protection in his current deal that pays him an average of $7.85 million annually. Hughes, who is 26 and widely considered the best at player on the blue line behind only Colorado’s Cale Makar, is signed through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wild will not be allowed to extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would consider signing a new contract with them. There has been plenty of buzz around the league that Quinn wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils.

They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

The long-term outlook for Hughes can wait until next summer, though. The Wild are focused on challenging the two top teams ahead of them in the loaded Central Division, rivals that happen to also have the top two records in the NHL: Colorado and Dallas.

The season-long celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary would be a lot more meaningful if the Wild can finally advance in the playoffs, having lost nine straight series after a first-round victory over St. Louis in 2015. The Wild have passed the second round just once in their entire existence, when they were swept in the Western Conference finals by Anaheim in 2003.

Hughes is a significant upgrade to Minnesota’s blue line, anchored by captain and 16-year veteran Jared Spurgeon, smooth-skating 14-year veteran Jonas Brodin and young stalwart Brock Faber. The emergence of rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt this season has given the Wild a reliable tandem with Filip Gustavsson in the net, with star winger Kirill Kaprizov leading the attack after recently signing the richest contract in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” through 2034.

After a rough start, the Wild are 14-3-2 since Nov. 1. They host Ottawa on Saturday and Boston on Sunday night, with the latter game likely the more realistic one for Hughes to debut.

Hughes had two goals, 21 assists and 32 blocked shots in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. When he won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, Hughes had 17 goals and 75 assists, both single-season franchise records for defensemen and the most among all blue liners in the league. Drafted seventh overall in 2018 out of Michigan, the native of Orlando, Florida, spent time growing up in the Boston and Toronto areas while his father, a hockey coach, moved around.

This was Hughes’ third season as Vancouver’s captain, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure.

“With the circumstances surrounding J.T. and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

Source link