A federal judge has issued a final ruling against a Bangor church that challenged a recent Maine law limiting discrimination at schools that accept public funding.
The 2021 law amended the Maine Human Rights Act and barred schools that receive public funds from discriminating based on gender identity, sexual orientation and religion.
It was a pre-emptive response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a year later, which allowed religious schools to participate in a state program that provides tuition funds for students in communities that don't have a public high school.
But Crosspoint Church, which operates Bangor Christian Schools, sued the state last year, saying the new anti-discrimination laws violate its free exercise of religion. The school prohibits students from identifying as a gender other than their sex assigned at birth.
Earlier this year, U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock rejected the school’s request for a preliminary injunction in the case. And this week, Woodcock made his rejection of the injunction permanent in a final ruling, and again said that the state law does not violate the constitution.
Lawyers representing the school have already indicated that they plan to appeal.
In his earlier ruling, Judge Woodcock acknowledged that the case raises "important legal questions" and said that his opinion was framed as a "prelude" to the case making it to an appeals court.
