CONCORD, NH — A federal judge on Monday temporarily allowed a transgender girl to play soccer on her high school team while she and another student fight a ban in New Hampshire.

The families of Parker Tirrell, 15, and Iris Turmelle, 14, filed suit Friday to overturn the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed last month. While Turmelle plans to stay out of sports until December, Tirrell requested an emergency order allowing her to begin soccer practice Monday night.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty granted the motion just hours before the trial was set to begin, ruling that Tirrell would prevail on the merits. Both sides now have 14 days to schedule a hearing on the plaintiffs’ broader request for a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the law while the case proceeds.

The lawsuit states that the law violates the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and federal law because it denies young people equal educational opportunities and discriminates against them on the basis of their transsexuality.

The judge questioned how the law, when applied to Tirrell, is supposed to protect girls from unfair competition, since the state does not dispute evidence that she has no physiological advantage after taking puberty blockers to prevent physical changes such as muscle growth. McCafferty also noted that Tirrell has shown that she would suffer irreparable harm without taking them, another criterion for emergency relief.

District Attorney Michael DeGrandis argued that while missing soccer practice was “stressful,” it did not meet that standard. The girls’ attorney disagreed, saying it would have “lasting, stigmatizing effects.”

“We are very pleased with the judge’s decision. It is consistent with our expectations because we know this law is unfair and violates the rights of transgender girls in New Hampshire,” said Chris Erchull, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, after the hearing.

Transgender rights — and especially those of young people — have become a key political battleground in recent years as transgender visibility has increased. Most Republican-controlled states have banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, and several have passed laws restricting which school bathrooms transgender people can use and barring trans girls from some sports competitions.