MINNEAPOLIS —

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday sent the case of a transgender athlete who wants to compete in the women's division at weightlifting events back to a lower court to determine whether USA Powerlifting has a "legitimate business purpose" for excluding her.

The state's highest court ruled that the group's policy that bars JayCee Cooper from competing in its women's division is "facially discriminatory" under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which protects transgender individuals against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

But the justices noted 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" meets that test. So

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