The battle over whether Maine voters will be allowed to decide the future of girls’ sports and private spaces is now in the hands of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
The state’s highest court heard oral arguments on July 1 in a fast-moving legal dispute over the Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine citizen initiative, which seeks to require public schools to designate athletic teams, bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities according to biological sex.
The initiative would require school sports teams to be classified as male, female or coeducational. Female teams would be reserved for students whose biological sex is female, while male teams would be reserved for biological males. The proposal would also require sex-separated private facilities in Maine public schools.
At the center of the court fight are approximately 1,520 voter signatures collected by four out-of-state petition circulators.
Attorney Timothy Woodcock, representing Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine, argued that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows exceeded her legal and constitutional authority when she invalidated those signatures because the four circulators had not checked a box agreeing to submit to Maine’s petition-circulation requirements.
“The people of Maine who have constitutional authority have been cut out of this process,” Woodcock told the justices. “I do think it’s important for this court to keep the secretary within her lane.”
Maine’s Constitution contains a residency requirement for citizen-petition circulators, but that provision was declared unenforceable following a federal court challenge. Under a subsequent federal consent agreement, out-of-state circulators can collect signatures in Maine if they agree to follow state procedures and submit to the jurisdiction of Maine authorities.
Of the 120 out-of-state circulators used by the campaign, 116 reportedly completed the required paperwork. Four did not. Bellows’ office ultimately rejected the signatures gathered by those four circulators.
Woodcock argued that removing the referendum from the ballot over paperwork tied to four circulators would be an extraordinary result.
“If this is upheld, it is essentially, an initiative has been pulled off the ballot with 1,520 otherwise valid signatures on the strength of a federal court order,” Woodcock said. “That is a remarkable result under these circumstances.”
Attorneys defending Bellows’ decision argued that the rules were clear and that nearly every other nonresident circulator successfully followed them.
Christopher Dodge, representing the three Maine residents who challenged the referendum’s original certification, said Bellows had no choice but to reject the signatures because the four circulators failed to complete the required consent forms.
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Bolton, representing Bellows, similarly argued that the secretary was obligated to follow the process established by the federal court agreement.
Initiative Initially Qualified for November Ballot
Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine submitted 8,067 petition forms containing 79,692 signatures. Bellows’ office initially determined that 71,033 signatures were valid, placing the campaign above the 67,682-signature threshold required to qualify for the November 2026 ballot.
That decision was challenged by Jane Gilbert, Mark Sayre and Kaitlin Webber.
Following an administrative hearing and a second review, Bellows reversed her original determination and invalidated more than 12,500 signatures. The campaign was left 532 signatures below the number required to appear on the ballot.
The rejected signatures involved several categories, including duplicates, signatures that could not be matched to registered voters, alleged forgeries and petitions connected to circulators accused of failing to comply with state requirements.
Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine appealed Bellows’ decision to Cumberland County Superior Court, arguing that the secretary had exceeded her authority and improperly deprived Maine voters of their right to participate in the citizen-initiative process.
Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman rejected the campaign’s arguments on June 11 and upheld Bellows’ decision. The campaign immediately appealed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
The case is formally titled Jane Gilbert, Mark Sayre and Kaitlin Webber v. Shenna Bellows, with Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine participating as the appellant seeking to restore the referendum. The Maine Judicial Branch designated the dispute a high-profile case and published the parties’ briefs, court orders and supporting materials online.
The Law Court is expected to issue an expedited ruling because election officials must finalize the November ballot in the coming weeks. As of Wednesday morning, the court had not announced its decision.
Maine Girl Dads Helped Drive Statewide Effort
Maine Girl Dads, a coalition that says it represents more than 8,000 fathers, has been one of the most visible organizations supporting the initiative.
The group says its members are working to protect the dignity, privacy and athletic opportunities of girls by maintaining sex-based sports divisions and private spaces in Maine schools.
Maine Girl Dads began by lobbying the Maine Principals’ Association and individual school districts. The organization says its advocacy helped change policies in MSAD 52, RSU 73, RSU 70, Baileyville, Danforth and Richmond.
After the Maine Principals’ Association and the Democratic-controlled Legislature declined to enact statewide changes, the group helped launch the Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine referendum campaign.
The proposed law would amend Maine education and civil rights statutes while creating a private right of action for students who lose an athletic opportunity or suffer a direct injury because of a violation.
The legal battle comes as the broader debate over transgender participation in girls’ sports continues to place Maine in the national spotlight.
Limited-Time Maine Girl Dads Merchandise Shop Opens
As the court considers the initiative’s future, Maine Girl Dads has also opened a limited-time merchandise shop.
The organization announced the merchandise launch through its account on X, encouraging supporters to purchase Maine Girl Dads apparel and other branded items while the temporary shop remains open.
The group’s website now prominently features a “Shop the Merch” option alongside links to join the coalition, donate and support the referendum effort.
The merchandise campaign gives supporters another way to publicly back the organization as it waits for what could be a decisive ruling from Maine’s highest court.
For Maine Girl Dads and the thousands of voters who signed the petitions, the immediate question is no longer simply whether the proposed policy should become law.
It is whether Mainers will be allowed to vote on it at all.
Seventy Nine THOUSAND six hundred and ninety two …versus … 3 assholes and one slimey law firm
DOESN’T SEEM FAIR to me ….
WTF is wrong with this picture ?
Oooops ……..3 assholes AND Sheena Bellows ….