Maine and a GOP lawmaker who ID'd a transgender athlete online agree lawsuit is now moot

PORTLAND, Maine – Attorneys for the authorities of Maine and a blimpish lawmaker who identified a transgender teen pupil jock online present hold that the lawmaker's entreaty implicit her nonaccomplishment of voting rights for her station is present moot.

Republican authorities Rep. Laurel Libby identified the jock successful a February societal media station that went viral and called into question the student's sex identity, bringing attraction to the contented of transgender teens participating successful sports. Maine's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives censured Libby for violating the House codification of morals and blocked her from speaking and voting connected the floor.

Libby sued, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled successful May that the Maine legislature indispensable let her to vote. Lawmakers voted successful June to halt the restrictions.

Maine Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Patwardhan said successful tribunal papers filed precocious past period that determination are “no longer immoderate restrictions connected Rep. Libby's quality to ballot oregon debate” and “this entreaty is present moot.” Libby said successful a connection Monday that she volition “not contention the AG's mootness argument” and added that she ne'er provided the apology House Democrats asked of her.

“I judge this lawsuit sends a wide message: elected officials bash not surrender their law rights astatine the Capitol steps -- and neither bash the radical who sent them there,” Libby said.

The entreaty inactive needs to beryllium formally dismissed by a court, but it is fundamentally dropped “given that some parties are successful statement astir the mootness issue,” said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the lawyer general’s office.

Libby’s station was astir a precocious schoolhouse jock who won a girls’ way competition. She said the pupil had antecedently competed successful boys’ track. Her station included a photograph of the pupil and first-name recognition successful quotation marks.

The post preceded a nationalist disagreement betwixt President Donald Trump and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills implicit the taxable of transgender athletes. Trump signed an enforcement bid designed to prohibition transgender athletes from participating successful girls' and women's sports earlier this year. At a gathering of governors astatine the White House successful February, Trump characterized Maine arsenic retired of compliance with order.

Mills told Trump: “We'll spot you successful court.” The Trump medication past launched investigations into Maine's Title IX compliance. An lawyer for the authorities said successful April that the authorities and national authorities are astatine an impasse implicit the subject.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.