Maine Gov. Janet Mills has responded to the lawsuit that has been filed against her state by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for letting trans athletes compete in girls’ sports.
Mills’ office released a statement on Wednesday, hours after the lawsuit was announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi at a morning press conference.
The statement references a ruling by a federal judge last Friday to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from freezing funding to the state over the issue and investigations by President Donald Trump’s Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services over the last seven weeks.
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“Today is the latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law. This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law. Federal Judge Woodcock’s ruling of last Friday awarding the state a temporary restraining order reinforces our position that the federal government has been acting unlawfully,” the statement read.
“For nearly two months, Maine has endured recriminations from the Federal government that have targeted hungry school kids, hardworking fishermen, senior citizens, new parents, and countless Maine people. We have been subject to politically motivated investigations that opened and closed without discussion, leaving little doubt that their outcomes were predetermined. Let today serve as warning to all states: Maine might be among the first to draw the ire of the Federal government in this way, but we will not be the last.”
Mills also boasted about her political background in the statement.
“For decades — first as a District Attorney, as Attorney General, and now as Governor — I have fought tirelessly for the rights of women and girls, for the health and well-being of children and families, and defending the Constitution of Maine and the Constitution of the United States. My Administration and Maine’s Attorney General will vigorously defend our state against the action announced today from the Department of Justice,” the statement read.
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“As I have said previously, this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”
The Justice Department has accused the state of “openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls,” according to a complaint obtained by Fox News.
“By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine’s policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm,” the complaint added.
The complaint said the U.S. will seek “judgment granting declaratory injunctive, and damages relief for Defendant’s violations of Title IX and the federal funding contracts it signed promising to comply with Title IX and its implementing regulations.”
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 both Trump and Mills 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.
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The state has also launched its own lawsuit against the Trump administration over the recent USDA cuts and a federal judge has also ordered that the funding can not be frozen.
A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is “only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women.”
The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls’ sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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