Rhode Island-based U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose reportedly issued a ruling late on Friday denying Maine State Rep. Laurel Libby’s (R-Auburn) claim for declaratory and injunctive relief against the terms of the censure Maine Democrats imposed against her last month. Those terms strip Rep. Libby of the right to vote or speak on the floor of the Maine House of Representatives.
Libby’s lawsuit contested what it called violations of her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, and specifically named Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) as the defendant.
Judge DuBose on Friday ruled that Speaker Fecteau was protected by legislative immunity, and that while the censure order was a “weighty sword to yield,” Maine Democrats adhered to legislative procedure.
“While I’m disappointed by today’s decision, it doesn’t change the fact that Ryan Fecteau and Maine Democrats abused their power in order to silence dissent, disenfranchise nearly 9,000 of my constituents, and suppress the voices they disagree with,” Libby said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Earlier this month, both Libby and Fecteau testified in the matter, which was referred to a Rhode Island-based judge because all of the federal judges in Maine’s U.S. District Court recused themselves. The Maine judges’ recusal was based on their personal connection the mother of trans-identifying Cumberland athlete whose picture Libby posted on social media, who reportedly works in the federal courthouse in Portland.
[RELATED: Rep. Libby Files Federal Lawsuit Against Speaker Fecteau for Violating Her Constitutional Rights]
By a 75-70 vote along party lines, the Maine House of Representatives voted to censure Libby on February 25. Since then, she has been unable to speak on behalf of legislation she has sponsored and is effectively barred from representing her 9,000 constituents on critical questions.
Libby’s suit names as co-plaintiffs a half dozen specific constituents. Her 29-page complaint also cites specific examples of Rep. Fecteau posting photos of students for political purposes and draws attention to the fact that her actions were driven not only to protect female athletes but also to point out that Maine is in violation of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump barring biological males from participating in female school athletics.
“This fight is far from over,” Libby pledged, adding: “I will continue to demand my constituents have full representation, speak up for women and girls’ rights, and fight back against the radical politicians in Augusta who are putting their ideology ahead of the people they’re supposed to serve.”
She said she will appeal Friday’s decision.
