WASHINGTON—Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a civil lawsuit against the state of Maine on Wednesday for officials’ refusal to protect girls’ and women’s spaces and sports per Title IX rules.
A fiery Bondi announced the lawsuit and scolded Maine leaders, noting that the Trump administration tried its best to get Maine to comply before it filed suit.
“We have no other choice, we are taking them to court,” Bondi said.
The AG was joined at the presser by Maine state lawmaker Rep. Laurel Libby (R), female fencer Stephanie Turner, female rights advocate Riley Gaines, numerous female athletes from Maine, and others.
NEW: @AGPamBondi announces a civil lawsuit against Maine for refusing to protect women and women’s sports and spaces. pic.twitter.com/6q0jtXkJwO
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 16, 2025
A copy of the lawsuit, which was obtained by Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan, says the United States is suing Maine over its Department of Education “openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designed exclusively for girls.”
The suit is seeking to get Maine to stop its noncompliance with federal law and also seeks to grant females who were passed over by males their appropriate awards.
Bondi also said the department is looking at possibly retroactively pulling funding the state of Maine received for not complying in the past.
a case of FAFO: pic.twitter.com/fYRF6El4Kg
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 16, 2025
During the presser, Bondi cited a male athlete taking first place in a state final for girls’ pole vaulting, which was first reported by The Daily Wire. “He beat every female by a significant margin, qualifying him for regional championships. That took a spot away from a young woman,” Bondi said.
Last year, another male athlete competed in female ski and cross-country races in Maine and finished first in the women’s 5k. His time would have placed him 43rd if he were competing with fellow males, a DOJ press release said.
Gaines, who spoke at the presser, thanked President Donald Trump for protecting girls and said, “Accountability is back in the White House.”
.@Riley_Gaines_, speaking at DOJ, details all the ways women have been harmed by men in their spaces — and censored for speaking out.
These abuses aren’t happening in Afghanistan or the UK, she says. They’re happening in the USA.
“Accountability is back in the White House.” pic.twitter.com/CAAlYUj4gc
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 16, 2025
In February, Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills got into a public spat with President Trump when she refused to comply with the president’s order barring males from girls’ sports, arguing that she was following state law.
Subsequently, numerous Maine officials and organizations followed Mills’ lead and refused to comply with Title IX, sparking numerous investigations and rule violation findings.
Notably, it was found that the state also placed a convicted male murderer who identifies as female into a female correctional facility.
Related: EXCLUSIVE POLL: Maine Voters Side With Trump On Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports
