Timeline: Trump-Mills dispute
A timeline of the dispute between the Blaine House and the White House over trans rights
I’m starting a new feature, inspired by the great Matt Taibbi of Racket News1, here on Substack, wherein I’m going to chronicle the timeline of major news events here in Maine - including my own PPH columns, Substack posts, and news articles. I’m starting with one of the bigger stories in Maine, the dispute between Maine and the White House over trans rights.
February 5 - Trump issues executive order regarding the participation of trans athletes in sports.
February 17 - Maine State Representative Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) posts on Facebook identifying a trans athlete who won first place competing as a woman after, two years earlier, placing fifth as a man. She publicly identified the student and posted unblurred photos.
February 20 - President Trump mentions Maine, and the issue, during his remarks to the Republican Governors’ Association.
February 21 - President Donald Trump publicly called out Maine Governor Janet Mills over the issue, and Maine’s refusal to cooperate with his executive order on trans athletes:
That exchange immediately exploded all over the news, locally and nationally, turning Janet Mills into a liberal hero - something she likely never anticipated nor planned for. and the Trump administration’s Department of Education also immediately announced they were investigating Maine for violating Title IX.
February 21 - Mills’ statement on being investigated for Title IX violations.
February 22 - The Department of Agriculture - which supplies funding to the University of Maine - announces its own investigation into UMaine.
February 24 - I recorded my discussion with Professor Andrew Rudalevige, of Bowdoin College, about the issue.
February 24 - Statements from Maine’s congressional delegation.
February 25 - The Maine House censures Rep. Laurel Libby over her Facebook post, stripping her of the ability to speak and vote on the floor of the House.
February 25 - The Department of Education determines Maine is in violation of Title IX policies.
February 26 - University of Maine responds to investigation, asserting it is following federal orders.
February 26 - The New York Times runs a profile of Janet Mills.
February 27 - USDA suspends funding to the University of Maine.
March 2 - My Column in the Portland Press Herald about the issue.
March 11 - Rep. Laurel Libby sues Speaker of the House Rep. Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) in federal court, seeking to have her censure overturned.
March 17 - The Department of Health and Human Services finds Maine in violation of Title IX over its trans policies.
March 17 - The Department of Health and Human Services gives the Maine Principals’ Association and Greely High School ten days to agree to enforce Trump’s executive order.
March 19 - The Department of Education finds the State of Maine to be in violation of Title IX over its trans policies.
March 19 - The Department of Agriculture confirms that the University of Maine is in compliance, restores funding.
March 20 - During budget debate, Republicans try but fail to have Libby’s censure overturned.
March 22 - Donald Trump demands full apology from Janet Mills.
March 24 - Mills responds to Trump’s demand for an apology.
March 27 - Maine officials refuse demand to comply with Trump’s order.
April 4 - UNH poll shows the issue is not at the top of the agenda for voters.
April 7 - Maine sues the Trump administration over the Title IX investigation, bringing the issue into the Federal courts.
April 7 - Maine superintendents’ association supports changing state law to comply with Trump’s executive order.
Updates Since Posted:
April 8 - Attorney General Pam Biondi says on Fox & Friends that she’s pulling non-essential funding from Maine prisons in response to their policy on transgender prisoners.
April 9 - The Portland Press Herald revealed that the Office of the Maine Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services e-mailed each other about bills sponsored by Republicans to limit the participation of trans athletes in sports.
April 11 - The New York Times posted a profile of Janet Mills that vaguely alludes to her brother, Peter Mills, but does not mention that he ran for governor.
Laurel Libby is, apparently, raising a lot of money from this controversy.
April 14 - Janet Mills goes on Morning Joe to blast Trump.
The Trump administration moves towards ending education funding for Maine.
A federal judge temporarily blocks the Trump administration’s pause on Maine’s education funding.
April 16 - The Department of Justice announces a civil lawsuit against Maine; Janet Mills responds.
April 17 - A school district in Aroostook County changes its policies to align with the Trump administration, in violation of the Maine Human Rights Act.
April 18 - Janet Mills maintains she is happy to go to court over this.
A federal judge denies Laurel Libby’s request to overturn her censure and restore her voting rights in the Maine House.2
April 24 - Janet Mills sits down with a Portland Press Herald reporter.
April 29 - Rep. Laurel Libby files an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
May 2 - Maine and the USDA settle a disagreement over $3 million in school funds, but not the broader fight.
May 20 - The U.S. Supreme Court reinstates Rep. Laurel Libby’s right to vote in the Maine House, overturning her censure.
Bills to alter Maine’s policy on transgender athletes deadlock in committee.
June 26 - On the last day of session, after all the bills to alter Maine’s policy on transgender athletes had been defeated, Democrats voted to restore Rep. Laurel Libby’s voting and speaking rights on the floor of the House.
I’ll try to keep this post updated as events continue to evolve.
Jim is also a weekly columnist for the Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest daily newspaper. Follow him on X or on Facebook.
I often disagree with his political views, but he is an excellent journalist.
I’ll keep my views in the footnotes on these posts, but this is what I expected. Federal judges won’t intervene in the internal disputes of a state Legislature - not even SCOTUS.