All federal judges in Maine have rejected the case after Maine Assemblyman Laurel Libby filed a lawsuit over a recent accusation of a social media post pointing to trans athletes in women's competitions.
Jury members, John C. Nivison, John A. Woodcock, Lance E. Walker, Karen F. Wolf, Stacey D. Neumann and Nancy Torrensen, signed a denial order on Tuesday shortly after the suit was first filed. There was no reason for the judge's refusal. The incident has since been featured in the Rhode Island area, following multiple reports.
Libby was condemned by the state House on February 25th with a partisan 75-70 votes. The basis for the accusation was that Libby posted a photo and the athlete was named a trans athlete under 18 after he placed first place at Greeley High School in the State Girls Pole Vault Competition. However, Libby and her attorneys allege that the athlete had already been made public by other media prior to her post.
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Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecto, who passed the charges, is the leading defendant in the lawsuit along with House Rep. Robert Hunt. The Maine Attorney General's Office represents Fecteau.
Libby's lawsuit seeks to restore voting and speaking rights. Fecteau previously said that Libby's rights would recover when she apologized, but she has no intention of apologizing. Libby told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday that Fecteau is encouraging taxpayers to take the case to court and restore their right to avoid sacrificing the price of potential cases.
Libby represents more than 9,000 components of Maine House District 90, six of whom have signed the lawsuit as plaintiffs.
Laurel Libby of Maine files lawsuit over accusations to call trans athletes in women's sports
Maine Sen. Laurel Libby has warned about the state's rebellion against President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at ending biological men competing in women's sports. (Getty|Maine House of Representatives)
“The actions of the speaker not only disenfranchised me, but also disenfranchised the thousands of members I represent, and that's the whole picture here. In his eyes, in his eyes, he retaliated against me because he didn't like what I had to say,” Libby said.
For Libby, the lawsuit is not merely intended to restore her rights to her and her members. She also said it is a critical step in a national effort to combat trans-inclusion in women's sports.
“Maine has for some reason become ground zero for this debate. Of course I want to get my voice back so I can talk to it. And when I tackle this issue within Congress, I hope that everything that unfolds over the next few weeks will help change courses in the debate.
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On Tuesday, Maine was also the first state to have federal funds diminished after it refused to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order to keep trans athletes out of women and girls' sports. The USDA has issued a suspension for all funding to the University of Maine System, a network of eight public universities in the state.
Maine is currently investigating potential Title IX violations that have refused to comply with Trump's recent executive order to prevent trans athletes from competing in women's and women's sports by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
HHS provided notification of violation Maine On February 25th, the state declared that by allowing trans athletes to participate in women's sports, the state violated Title IX. The HHS later expanded the scope of the investigation, including the Main Principal Association and Greeley High School.
Libby's first social media post identifying trans athletes urged national awareness of the state's situation, even before its release between Trump and Gov. Janet Mills.
The controversy incited a protest against Mills, known as the “March against Mills” that took place outside the state capitol in Maine on Saturday morning. Several female athletes visited Mike on a march to oppose the Democratic governor.
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