Appeals Court hears JMU sports case

A federal appeals court in Richmond is getting its chance to review James Madison University’s decision to eliminate 10 sports teams.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the case Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Glen Conrad dismissed a sports advocacy group's lawsuit seeking reinstatement of the teams, ruling that the group failed to prove that the cuts were illegal. The group, called Equity in Athletics, appealed Conrad's decision.

JMU announced in 2006 that it was cutting seven men's teams and three women's teams to comply with a federal law requiring equality in men's and women's intercollegiate sports. The teams included men's and women's archery, men's indoor and outdoor track and women's gymnastics.