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Home » News » Maine and New England » Federal Court Rules Against Rep. Libby’s Suit, Effectively Upholding Her Censure and Silencing
Maine and New England

Federal Court Rules Against Rep. Libby’s Suit, Effectively Upholding Her Censure and Silencing

Maine Wire StaffBy Maine Wire StaffApril 18, 2025Updated:April 18, 202533 Comments3 Mins Read3K Views
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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.

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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="38192 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=38192">33 Comments

  1. Jim Bob on April 18, 2025 3:20 PM

    Big surprise from this lib judge. Appeal time.

  2. Hanover Fiste on April 18, 2025 3:23 PM

    Taxation without representation. I think Id stop paying my taxes and use the money to fight the tyrant state.

  3. Dr. Ed on April 18, 2025 3:24 PM

    So the majority can deny a member’s civil rights?

    OK, how about a vote to make the legislature White Only?
    Or that all female reps be denied the right to speak?
    Or banish all LGBT+++ members to the back row.

    Apparently this is all Constitutional.

    One wonders if a Black Lesbian Judge thought this through….

  4. Dr. Ed on April 18, 2025 3:35 PM

    As bad as he was — and he was — John Martin never did this.

    And for those who are too young to remember, John Martin is why Maine adopted term limits — to prevent a Ryan Fecteau…

  5. dts on April 18, 2025 3:42 PM

    Bizzare.

  6. Camp Granny on April 18, 2025 3:59 PM

    Appeal…all the way to SCOTUS

  7. Mike e on April 18, 2025 4:09 PM

    This is no surprise. The coward judges in Maine who recused themselves need to be named and harassed at every possible occasion. Pushing this to the satanic queer judge from Rhode Island guaranteed the Demoncrats would win. I’ve said it before and will say it again….its time to use the second amendment for the reason it was meant for. These faggots and beta males in charge of the state need to be overthrown.

  8. Joan of Arc on April 18, 2025 4:10 PM

    Did you know that the Democratic Party defended slavery, started the Civil War, founded the KKK, and fought against every major civil rights act in U.S. history? Watch as Carol Swain, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, shares the inconvenient history of the Democratic Party.

  9. Joan of Arc on April 18, 2025 4:15 PM

    Liars and cheaters and thieves, oh my …the Democrat Party👎

  10. Billy B. on April 18, 2025 5:08 PM

    What else would we expect from another queer activist ?
    I am not at all that the lesbian judge ruled the way she did .
    The LGBTQRS crowd sticks together tighter than the democrats .

  11. Joel on April 18, 2025 6:44 PM

    U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose is the first woman of color and first out LGBTQ+ person on the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island.

    Oh this was a fair trial folks…..what could possibly go wrong here?

  12. Bryan on April 18, 2025 7:01 PM

    Turn those Maine flags upside down!!!! Maybe Libby needs an “unblockable” gofundme….or whatever works. Demoncrats………..

  13. Ironmike on April 18, 2025 7:50 PM

    We all knew what the results would be before the hearing took place. The coward judges of the state of maine should be disbarred.

  14. Frank Fantastic on April 18, 2025 8:59 PM

    100% an Obama or Soros appointed judge.
    Lawfare because Dems can’t win fairly.

  15. Sarah Kane on April 18, 2025 10:33 PM

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  16. Sam Brady on April 19, 2025 3:18 AM

    to truly understand what is REALLY going on you must read – Manufactured Crisis by James Simpson…. This is all about destruction of Western Civilization , Fag Boy Ryan is just a Useful Idiot

  17. Tootaloo on April 19, 2025 6:08 AM

    This judge, and given their past stance on the topic that had this women censured, had no business being part of this. I hope this gets appealed and gets overturned.

  18. bill in Bangor on April 19, 2025 6:39 AM

    A tainted justice system approves of Puritanical-styled shunning of Libby. Will Maine’s Marxist legislature bring back the stock and pillory where they can publicly ridicule legislators that dare to bring logic and common sense into the hallowed halls?
    How this case wound up before a LGBTQIA+ judge is a travesty.

  19. Citizen on April 19, 2025 7:18 AM

    Just how involved is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Maine’s legislative process? From reading the bios of members of ACLU-Maine members, I have learned that at least one member has worked on hundreds of bills in the Maine State Legislature, passing, improving and killing even more. Evidently Maine doesn’t have a direct equivalent to the ACLU that focuses on conservative viewpoints, but the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is a politically conservative comparable organization. Is the ACLJ involved at all with Maine legislators – working for the conservative point of view? If not, perhaps it’s time for us to request their involvement. 

    Many in Maine who hold traditional values feel unrepresented. How and why are the radical views so dominant in our legislature and in politics? When are those who hold traditional Maine values going to reassert themselves and their power?

  20. Blob Watcher on April 19, 2025 7:43 AM

    An integral part of the “lawfare” process is “judge shopping.” Find a judge who will be sympathetic to your cause and present the case. They had to go all the way to Little Rhody to find a judge who checked all the right boxes.

  21. Eeddyedward on April 19, 2025 12:20 PM

    No big surprise, bizzaro world, straight people on bottom! C’mon man!

  22. Dr. Ed on April 19, 2025 3:05 PM

    Ryan Fecteau is from Biddeford, are there no Catholics left there?

    The way to deal with him is to run someone against him, to fund that person.

  23. DamDoc on April 19, 2025 5:08 PM

    Trannie judge?

  24. Bill on April 20, 2025 6:12 AM

    Democrats love or use their power to silence any opposition.

  25. Bob Hickok on April 20, 2025 6:22 AM

    Why do these cases always bypass New Hampshire judges in favor of one farther away from Maine appointed by Obama/biden?

  26. Free-ish Man on April 20, 2025 7:09 AM

    DEI hires and appointees in the legal system SUCK.

  27. Sherm on April 20, 2025 8:35 AM

    Imagine us having this discussion even 10 years ago (even in Portland)

    Boy is allowed to participate in girls track meet.

    Wins and has his picture taken.

    Legislator shows picture and says this is not right.

    Legislator is condemned, censured and banned from voting.

    WTF

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  29. Jon on April 20, 2025 7:22 PM

    We all knew this would be the outcome when Mills instructed all Maine judges to recuse themselves. Mills controls the judges in Maine, like she controls every branch and department! That’s why no one in Maine will ever investigate any of the vast Mills corruption!
    When Mills,Frey and fairy Fecteau went judge shopping, the outcome was sealed. The court procedure was just a theatrical formality. I’m sure even Rep. Libby knew it.
    Now it’s on to higher, unbiased & unpolluted legitimate courts!

  30. totalltosquat on April 20, 2025 11:03 PM

    Serves on the Roger Williams University School of Law’s Board of Directors and chairs the board’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee

  31. Boxcar on April 21, 2025 6:26 AM

    That BLACK LESBIAN Judge should never had taken this case. She should have recused herself just like all the other judges in Maine did. What a joke.

  32. Boxcar on April 21, 2025 6:28 AM

    Censured by a gay house speaker, then ruled against by a gay judge.

  33. axylos on April 21, 2025 6:56 AM

    Not a surprise !! The fix was in as soon as this judge was picked!!! Communists judge shopping as always and Libby did not stand a chance.

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