U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondy announced Wednesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Maine after rejecting several requests that Maine adhere to President Donald Trump’s instructions to ban women’s sports.
In a joint press conference with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Bondi warned the state for several months, calling it a last resort by the administration to threaten federal funds.
“Today, the Department of Justice is making a civil lawsuit against the Maine Department of Education,” Bondy said at a press conference. “Maine discriminates against women by failing to protect women in women’s sports. It’s pretty basic. This is a violation of Title IX. When women are discriminated against in sports, the Department of Justice doesn’t sit down. This is about sports.
“Let’s meet in court.” @govjanetmills I said @potus In February, she refused to protect women and girls in sports.
today, @edsecmcmahon “Gov. Mills will definitely get her wish,” he confirmed. https://t.co/v3jelmrugg pic.twitter.com/crmgltnehd
– Quick Response 47 (@rapidResponse47) April 16, 2025
The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) investigation began in February after state Democratic government Janet Mills publicly vowed to bring the Trump administration to court for February enforcement. Presidential Order Men are prohibited from women’s sports. Ed opened investigation I went to Mdoe on the same day and published it Final warning I promise to the state on March 31st that the next step will be referrals to the DOJ.
“We want to ensure that if women’s sports and intimate facilities are opened to men, they will be exposed to federal civil rights investigations,” McMahon said at the meeting. “Governor Mills will definitely get her wish.”
On April 11, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it would withdraw all K-12 funds from the state and refer to the DOJ.
The USDA revoked funds for the MDOE on April 2nd due to the same issue. The state responded by filing a lawsuit, claiming that the revocation of funds was “blatantly illegal.” (Related: Maine calls Trump administrators to cut funding after refusing to ban men from women’s sports)
“Despite repeated warnings from President Trump, Gov. Janet Mills and the Maine Democrats continue to discriminate against women and girls in Maine, prioritizing their awakening ideology over biological reality,” Republican Maine Rep. Laurel Libby said in a statement. “As a result, the Justice Department has no choice but to take action against erasing women and girls in sports. Maine Democrats have doubled the left-wing agenda, and now our students and families are poised to lose hundreds of millions of people with federal funds.
USDA also temporarily suspended funds on the entire University of Maine System (UMS) on March 10th. announcement The system was compliant with federal law on March 19th.
Several female athletes were injured after being forced to compete with men, including 19-year-old Payton McNabb, who suffered traumatic brain damage after claiming that a male athlete claiming to be a transgender woman spiked a volleyball into her head. After Trump’s February 5th executive order, the president called for the restoration of the NCAA that male competitors had taken.
During his presidency, former President Joe Biden attempted to rewrite Title IX, which aimed to protect women from discrimination, in order to include the protection of transgender individuals who faced many legal challenges, which were widely criticised by Republican-led states. The rules were challenged and eventually removed.
Bondi also said several other states, such as Minnesota and California, faced similar actions from the department and “should notify them.”
The Mills office and MDOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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