India, June 30 -- The US Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws barring transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's school sports, handing a major victory to conservatives in one of the country's most contentious culture-war battles.

The decision is the latest indication of the conservative-majority court's willingness to side with states on transgender rights.

It follows last year's ruling upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors.

Challenge to state laws

The cases before the Supreme Court were brought by transgender students who argued that the state laws violated the US Constitution's Equal Protection Clause as well as Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based disc...