A tumultuous week of legal action came to a close on Friday night.

May 12, 2023 by Ultiworld Disc Golf Staff in Analysis, News

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story.

The Disc Golf Pro Tour won on appeal in the Natalie Ryan case and will again enforce its Gender Eligibility policy, barring Natalie Ryan from further competition at the OTB Open after she played today in round one.

In a brief opinion, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay to the temporary restraining order issued by the District Court yesterday, asserting that the Court lacked jurisdiction in the case. “It appears that the district court lacks diversity jurisdiction over the [Disc Golf Pro] Tour because Plaintiff and at least one member of the Tour are citizens of Virginia,” wrote the Ninth Circuit. For Ryan’s case to be heard in a federal court, one requirement is that the plaintiff (Ryan), who is a citizen of Virginia, must be totally “diverse” (i.e., from a different state) than the defendants. The District Court acknowledged uncertainty around whether or not it had jurisdiction but ruled in favor of Ryan anyway; the Ninth Circuit overruled that.

“This order restores the DGPT’s ability to enforce its current policy on Gender Eligibility,” wrote the DGPT in a statement. “The DGPT will follow the court’s ruling and enforce its Gender Eligibility Policy which will disallow Ms Ryan…