A Republican state lawmaker is asking a federal court to dismiss her appeal of a lawsuit filed against Maine's House Speaker.
Rep. Laurel Libby of Auburn had alleged that Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, was violating her free speech rights by prohibiting her from voting or speaking on the House floor. Fecteau had enforced the restrictions on Libby since February when House Democrats voted to censure her over Facebook comments that they said could endanger the welfare of a transgender high school athlete and violated the chamber's code of ethics.
The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently restored Libby's voting rights. But it wasn't until late last month that House lawmakers formally rescinded the voting and speaking restrictions during the final minutes of the 2025 legislative session.
The Maine Attorney General's Office suggested last week that Libby's lawsuit was now moot because she no longer faced restrictions. And on Monday, Libby's attorney, Patrick Strawbridge, asked the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to dismiss the appeal.
In his letter to the court, Strawbridge noted that Fecteau made clear through the AG's office that he would overrule any attempt to reimpose the sanctions on Libby for the same violation of the code of ethics when lawmakers return next year. Libby, meanwhile, declared that she had been "vindicated."
"I believe this case sends a clear message: elected officials do not surrender their constitutional rights at the Capitol steps — and neither do the people who sent them there," Libby said in a statement.
Libby is a vocal conservative and prolific fundraiser who is frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for higher office, including Maine's 2026 gubernatorial race. She helped thrust Maine into the national spotlight and debate over transgender athletes by posting on Facebook pictures and the name of a transgender athlete who won a girls' high school track championship. The post went viral and, days later, President Donald Trump told Maine Gov. Janet Mills that his administration would withdraw federal funding unless Maine banned transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. Mills, a Democrat, responded "See you in court."
Democrats in the Maine House responded by accusing Libby in their censure resolution of “reprehensible” and politically motivated actions that could endanger the welfare of the juvenile athlete. The censure became a partisan flashpoint for the next four months of the legislative session, which also featured Democrats rejecting multiple Republican attempts to change Maine's policy allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports based on their gender identity.
And even as they voted to lift the restrictions on Libby during the final hours of the session, Democrats made clear that the decision does not "absolve the representative's actions" and that the censure remains on the books.
Libby refused to apologize for her original posts or for calling attention to a policy that she says puts female athletes at a disadvantage.
