Bondi announces lawsuit against Maine for refusing to ban trans athletes from girls’ sports
The U.S. Justice Department announced a lawsuit against the state of Maine for its continued defiance of President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep biological males out of girls’ and women’s sports and violations of Title IX.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the lawsuit at a press conference on Wednesday morning. It is the latest chapter in the battle between the state and the Trump administration after a federal judge paused a funding freeze that was initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Bondi was joined at the press conference by conservative activist Riley Gaines and fencer Stephanie Turner, who recently drew viral attention to the issue of trans inclusion in women's fencing with a clip of her kneeling in protest of a trans opponent.
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"The Department of Justice will not sit by when women are discriminated against in sports," Bondi said at a press conference. "… What they have been through is horrific."
Fox News Digital reached out to Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s offices for comment.
"We want to get states to comply with us," Bondi added.
Bondi said they were seeking an injunction and have titles returned to the girls who "rightfully" won competitions in which trans athletes participated in.
Turner spoke about the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the state to Fox News Digital.
"It's sad that this has to be a political issue, and I think this was a missed opportunity by the Democrats to garner support among the vast majority of the United States." Turner said of the press conference.
"I'm so grateful that we have an administration that is taking this issue seriously."
The announcement of the lawsuit comes nearly two months after an infamous hostile exchange between Trump and Mills at a White House bi-partisan meeting of governors on Feb. 21. The exchange ended with Trump uttering the phrase "see you in court" after Mills insisted her state would refuse to comply with his order.
Now, Trump's administration has made good on his vow to take the issue to court.
The administration has hammered the state with federal pressure to comply with the issue over the last seven weeks, launching multiple investigations into its educational institutions and even cutting funding from the USDA.
In response, the state has launched its own lawsuit against the administration over the recent USDA cuts and a federal judge has also ordered that the funding can not be frozen.
Republican opposition within the state has fought aggressively against Mills, the Democrat majority in the legislature and educational bodies that have firmly stood in support of trans inclusion. State Rep. Laurel Libby has been a central figure in this opposition, having drawn attention to the issue initially with a social media post identifying a trans athlete who won a girls' pole vault competition in February.
Now, Libby is gratified to see the DOJ intervene and take legal action against the state.
"Despite repeated warnings from President Trump, Governor Janet Mills and Maine Democrats have continued to discriminate against Maine women and girls, prioritizing their woke ideology over biological reality. As a result, the Department of Justice has no choice but to take action against the erasure of women and girls in sports," Libby told Fox News Digital.
"Maine Democrats have doubled down on their far-left agenda and now our students and families stand poised to lose hundreds of millions in federal funding. Their radical gender ideology is endangering the continued existence of women's sports and penalizing Maine students, against the will of Maine citizens."
Libby is joined by her Republican colleagues in opposing the Democrat authority in the state that defies Trump, alongside several passionate civilians who have spoken out on the issue in recent months.
A school district in Maine is moving to comply with Trump instead of the state over the issue. The MSAD #70 School Board voted unanimously on Monday night to comply with Title IX, and Superintendent Tyler Putnam told Fox News Digital that he will amend the district's policies to prevent trans athletes from competing in girls' sports.
A Maine parent named Nick Blanchard recently garnered national attention after he was cut off at a school board meeting in Maine's capital city of Augusta while he discussed the controversial issue and a petition he launched to have a school administrator removed from her position for supporting trans inclusion.
Maine high school student Cassidy Carlisle spoke at a rally in Augusta opposing Mills on the issue and made a trip to the White House to discuss the issue in her state on Feb. 27. Carlisle was driven to take action on the issue after losing to a trans athlete in cross-country and Nordic skiing competitions. Before that, she had to share a locker room with a trans athlete six years ago during a middle school gym class.
As the conflict in Maine has become a national issue, the conservative opposition has also garnered support from prominent national activists.
Nicole Neily, Defending Education founder and president, celebrated the ruling in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"The Department of Justice’s lawsuit shows that this administration is serious about prioritizing student safety – which is a welcome change for parents across the country. Maine has made a conscious decision to violate the original intent of Title IX by allowing male participation in female sports, and that action has consequences," Neily said.
American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told Fox News Digital she believes the Trump administration is sending a strong message with this lawsuit.
"This action by the Administration sends a clear message to parents who have been fighting for their daughters’ private spaces to be protected and for fair athletic competition. Our daughters’ rights and privacy should not be subject to ideological whims. The next generation of girls deserve a world where they are protected and respected," Marré said.
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