Maine House Democrats voted again on Tuesday to impose controversial rules on Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) that deprive her of her right to vote and speak on the floor of the House of Representatives, the latest in a weeks-long drama stemming from a social media post Libby made that Democrats did not approve.
The 77-66 vote answered a question legislative insiders had been asking about whether the conditions of Libby’s censure, which arise from a House rule rather than the Maine Constitution, would extend into what is now the second session of the Legislature.
Libby was censured in a Feb. 25 party-line vote and stripped of her right to vote. The censure process is articulated in Maine’s Constitution, but the disenfranchisement and prohibition on speaking come from rules adopted by the House at the beginning of the session, according to Democratic leaders.
The vote was prompted when Rep. Shelley Rudnicki (R-Fairfield) made a motion to restore full voting and speaking rights to Rep. Libby for the new session of the legislature and all regular, extra, or special sessions after it. That led to a vote to suspend the rules under which Libby was deprived of her right to vote in the House of Representatives, which failed.
Politically, the vote reaffirms once again that Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) and Majority Leader Rep. Matt Moonen (D-Portland), are committed to binding Maine Democrats to a position that is wildly unpopular with American adults.
A New York Times / Ipsos poll published in January found that just 21 percent of American adults support policies that force female athletes to compete athletically against males who identify as transgender.
In comments on the floor, Fecteau made clear that Libby will only have her voting rights restored if she apologizes for the social media post he didn’t like. Notably, the apology must conform to Fecteau’s personal standards for apologies before Libby is allowed to vote and speak once again.
The image Libby shared went viral on social media because it showed a young man finishing tied for fifth place in a track and field event, later taking first place while competing against females.
The image was objective proof that Maine’s state government and school officials were sanctioning violations of federal civil rights law, as well as President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order protecting female sports and spaces.
If Fecteau’s goal was to minimize the attention drawn to the post and to Maine’s violations of federal civil rights laws, censoring Libby backfired spectacularly. Libby’s profile has skyrocketed on social media, growing to more than 120k followers as a result of Fecteau’s attempts to censor her and silence her.
Here’s the image Libby posted that irritated Fecteau so much, just for reference:
The decision has prompted a federal lawsuit by Libby and her constituents and has led Maine’s newspapers to republish legal filings that contain the image.
In the wake of the controversy over Libby’s social media post, as well as the related conflict between Maine Gov. Janet Mills and President Trump, investigations into two Maine state agencies have found that Maine’s transgender-centric policies violate federal civil rights laws.
The U.S. Department of Education provided notice of Title IX violations to the Maine Department of Education on March 19. That letter gave the state 10 days to voluntarily comply with federal civil rights laws or else “risk imminent enforcement action including referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for proceedings.”
Read the Maine Wire’s coverage of the controversy arising from Libby’s social media post and Maine’s continued violation of federal civil rights law under Title IX:
- Is Laurel Libby Still Censured? Will Speaker Ryan Fecteau be Censured? – Legislative Scouting Report for March 25th 2025
- Rainbow Bullies Have Hijacked Maine Democracy: Robinson
- U.S. Department of Education Investigation Finds Maine in Violation of Title IX
- Feds Rule Maine’s Transgender Policy Forcing Females to Compete Against Males Violates Title IX … Feds Find Maine DoE in Violation of Title IX
- In Unprecedented Move, All Maine’s Federal Judges Recuse from GOP Rep’s Challenge to Democrat Speaker’s Vote-Stripping Censure Order
- LGBTQ Rhode Island Judge Takes Over Maine GOP Rep’s Censure Case Against Dem House Speaker
Wouldn’t be IRONIC if L. Libby ran for GOVERNER…and WON.
Our State “legislature” is inFecteaued with…FACISM!