As the deadline set in a letter of impasse the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights had sent to Maine state officials two weeks ago drew down to its final hours, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office issued a response saying the state would neither sign a resolution agreement nor propose an alternative, setting into motion a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice.
[RELATED: Mills’ Continued Defiance of Trump’s Deadline for Title IX Compliance Could Cost Maine Hugely]
“Nothing in Title IX or its implementing regulation prohibits schools from allowing transgender girls and women to participate on girls’ and women’s sports teams,” Maine Assistant Attorney General Sarah Forster wrote to the regional director of the U.S. DOE’s Office of Civil Rights. Her letter chided the federal agency for wrongly interpreting the statute and added that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution also justified Maine’s policy — in direct defiance of the federal instruction.
That letter prompted a fast response from the DoE’s civil rights office:
“Accordingly, OCR has determined compliance cannot be secured by informal or voluntary means,” it wrote, adding: “OCR now refers this matter to the Department of Justice with a recommendation for appropriate proceedings to enforce all legally available remedies.”
The response to Maine’s attorney general went on to notify the state that it is “initiating administrative proceedings to suspend, terminate, defer final approval, and/or refuse to grant or continue Federal financial assistance to the MDOE.
The federal government contributes approximately ten percent of Maine’s overall education budget, or an estimated $290 million annually.
This is the second referral a federal agency has made regarding Maine to the Justice Department. Last month the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also referred the state for enforcement on the same issue. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated a partial freeze on funding to Maine, prompting a lawsuit filed against them by AG Frey’s office last week.
U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee, said in a post on X late Friday that “while I will continue to advocate strongly for federal funding for Maine, I disagree with the state’s position and instead support the original intent behind Title IX.” By original intent, she presumably meant protecting females from discrimination, which the participation of biological males in female sports is broadly considered to be.
Recent polling suggests that nearly two-thirds of Mainers disapprove of the state’s policy to insist on transgender participation in female sports.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="37900 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=37900">26 Comments
I was wondering if Our Governor, who as we all know showed up to show her support for woman athletes competing at the woman’s national college water polo championships this week end being held at Colby College in Waterville Maine. Young woman from all over the USA are competing for the national title of best college water polo team and we how much our governor supports the girls in sports
Now don’t we?
Throw the proverbial book at them all .
Stop every single penny …..not just the “ non-essential “ funding .ALL OF IT .
School lunch programs …health programs …..Univ of Maine …..Medicare …MaineCare… every single stinking penny .every federal program .ALL of it
These psycho trans- activists , Janet Mills included , are not going to get the message without being hit with overwhelming federal force , they are playing a game with us and they think they can win .
Maine is going to sue the federal government .Ooooooh scarey stuff there little Aaron Frey .
Donald Trump is only going to take so much from you all , and you are now at the cliff’s edge.
I hope they shut the damn State of Maine down .
Put these “ holy r than tho “ activist democrats in their place .
NO MORE MEN IN WOMENS SPORTS !
Would the Maine Wire please get the abbreviations right — DOE is Deot of ENERGY!
ED is Dept of EDucation because DOE was already taken….
So basically Mills thinks she can pick and choose which EO she obeys. No problem when Biden changed title 9, but follow the science and Mills cuts her nose off to spite her face.
Where is the conversation about the mental illness that underlines the belief that men have a right to compete with women? Until the adults are willing to stand up and address this issue things will only get worse. A civil society can not survive while mental illness is permitted to assume positions of authority.
This is not the Maine or the Maine people I knew and raised me. Stop being weak.
It’s about time Susan Collins got it right.
When state law and federal law are in conflict the federal law has superior status. This is well established and the Maine AGs office certainly knows this, as does the Governor a lawyer and former AG.
The claim that Maine must allow trans women, (biological men) to compete in women’s sports because it is state law is totally bogus. So why are they doing this? Perhaps to be ready for their next political office?
If that is true then the people and kids of Maine will pay the price for their shenanigans. Maine already had a huge budget hole and losing any federal dollars will only make it worse. Big cutbacks? Increased taxes? Both? The voters need to remember this all could have been totally avoided and not turned into this ridiculous shit show.
I also find it interesting that an apology from Mills is seen as an ungracious and impolite thing. What are the Dems demanding of Representative Libby? If the Dems didn’t have double standards they’d have no standards at all!
if the state wants boys in girl sports they could make it law… thats what a legistrstion that believes in what they are doing would do…. our legistrstion only belives and does what they are told too….. selected not elected! just another puppet show and distraction (like jfk files/epstien) from real world screw ups…
Mainers, it’s time to turn our State flag upside down until those clowns in Augusta yield to WE THE PEOPLE. Enough!!!
🙄 just a total bunch of 🤡’s !!! These people are seriously derranged! T.D.S SYNDROME! PLAIN AND SIMPLE , SICKNESS
Eric H-AMEN!!!!
Mr. Rugerman, you appear to have good grasp of the Title 9 situation. Governess Mills’ ego is proving expensive.
So have we heard from the other three little mice . king , pingree, and golden ?
Susan Collins speaks up knowing she has lost the MAGA vote and is desperate to remain viable , but where are the other three ?
Oh …do I recall King “ coming out” a while ago on the side of the trannys ?
Are the other two hiding under speaker Fecteau’s skirt ?
Are there ANY voices other than the 80% that can get this nonsense to it’s just end ?
Geez , I guess all these bozos forgot who they work for… “We the people ” of Maine. Get a grip , AG Frey…. there is a reality here in our state. Leave our kids alone. We say no to any “trans” activism.
Of course a federal judge just squashed the pause, big surprise. There going to have to get Pete to cancel all contracts at the two shipyards then listen to that bitch squeal. It’ll be epic.
Title IX is based on the physical sex of females NOT on any psychological, self-chosen gender identity. The physical sex of a biological male transgender (who self-identifies their gender as female) is still male. Get over it..Federal funding for Maine will be rightly pulled. Maine’s Governor and AG need to take a basic first year medical school course in embryology.
Federal law trumps state law when they conflict.
Governor janet mills needs to knee in front President Donald J. Trump and kiss his ring.
This is what Janet “SEE YOU IN COURT” Mills is defending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7dyJfUxgOw
There goes another $50 million!
Throw her (I’m assuming pronouns) wrinkly buttocks in federal prison.
This is clearly a majority which rules. “Recent polling suggests that nearly two-thirds of Mainers disapprove of the state’s policy to insist on transgender participation in female sports.” Put this trans stuff on a referendum and let the majority of Mainers rule! Vote these turncoat communists to hell!
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Trump was wrong about this one. None of our politicians have a future in politics. You keep burning em out Mills.
There’s an invisible force behind Mill’s and Frey’s stubbornness. I assume it’s money and political promises more than right vs wrong.
What gives with the democrats? Are they all evil or just plain stupid? Men do not compete against women in sports! Last I checked all professional sports leagues were separate C’mon man!