‘Consequences’ Come for Maine After Failure to Agree to Title IX Compliance
“Governor Mills would have done well to adhere to the wisdom embedded in the old idiom—be careful what you wish for. Now she will see the Trump Administration in court.”
The state of Maine’s early positioning as a state that would not comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order protecting women’s sports put it on the Trump administration’s radar in a big way.
As Legal Insurrection reported at the time, Trump point-blank called out Maine’s Democrat Governor, Janet Mills, during his greeting to the National Governors Association working session at the White House in February in what ended up being a tense exchange where Mills told Trump “see you in court” and Trump said he was looking forward to it.
Not long after that, the Maine-Trump administration war escalated when the Dept. of Agriculture announced it was launching a “compliance review” of the University of Maine to determine if they’d committed any Title IX violations. Brooke Rollins, the USDA Secretary, noted that her department was involved because the university was a “federally funded land-grant institution” that “receives over $100 million in USDA funding.”
Though there was a brief pause in funding for the University of Maine System in mid-March, that part of the standoff seemed to sort itself out once Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) got involved. Shortly after, the USDA indicated that the University of Maine System “has clearly communicated its compliance with Title IX’s requirement to protect equal opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports.”
But the situation with Maine’s government remained at a standstill.
Around the time the USDA was doing its compliance review of the University of Maine, the Dept. of Education initiated its own investigation into the Maine Dept. of Education as well as the Maine School Administrative District over allegations they were not in compliance with Title IX.
A month later, the ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) shared that they had found “policies and practices that are in violation of Title IX.” As a result, they “issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to the MDOE to resolve the Title IX violations.” A second warning notice by the OCR to Maine issued 12 days later gave them until April 11th to sign on to the agreement or else risk the investigation being referred to the DOJ.
On Friday afternoon, the Maine Attorney General’s office wrote back and acknowledged that the two sides were still at an impasse. In it, they disagreed with the ED’s assessment, saying their policies and procedures don’t violate Title IX even though they do allow “transgender girls and women” (men) to participate in women’s sports:
“Nothing in Title IX or its implementing regulation prohibits schools from allowing transgender girls and women to participate on girls’ and women’s sports teams,” Maine Assistant Attorney General Sarah Forster wrote to the regional director of the U.S. DOE’s Office of Civil Rights.
BREAKING:
Maine's AG office sends a letter to the Trump administration stating Maine will NOT comply with federal Title IX laws. pic.twitter.com/VBagmBdUlf
— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) April 11, 2025
As a result, the ED has followed through with its warning and has referred the case to the DOJ. They have also launched “an administrative proceeding to adjudicate termination of MDOE’s federal K-12 education funding”:
“The Department has given Maine every opportunity to come into compliance with Title IX, but the state’s leaders have stubbornly refused to do so, choosing instead to prioritize an extremist ideological agenda over their students’ safety, privacy, and dignity,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor. “The Maine Department of Education will now have to defend its discriminatory practices before a Department administrative law judge and in a federal court against the Justice Department. Governor Mills would have done well to adhere to the wisdom embedded in the old idiom—be careful what you wish for. Now she will see the Trump Administration in court.”
Given the Maine Department of Education’s (MDOE) refusal to comply with Title IX, ED has referred its investigation into MDOE to @TheJusticeDept & will initiate proceedings to adjudicate termination of MDOE’s federal K-12 education funding. https://t.co/gywR05sKsF pic.twitter.com/YNVcvTSmql
— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) April 11, 2025
Collins weighed in on Friday’s developments as well, saying she agreed with the federal government’s position on Title IX but vowing she would continue to fight for Maine’s federal funding:
The conflict between how the State of Maine and the Administration interpret Title IX needs to be resolved. I agree with the federal government’s position that biological males should not compete in girls and women’s athletics. Policies to the contrary violate the original intent behind Title IX.
People who are transgender deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. But that does not change the fact that Title IX mandated equal access to athletic resources and facilities on the basis of sex – not on the basis of gender identity. Safe and fair athletic competition has been one of the keys to the success of Title IX.
While I will continue to advocate strongly for federal funding for Maine, I disagree with the state’s position and instead support the original intent behind Title IX.
Additionally, on Friday a judge ruled for Maine that the USDA must reverse course on their April 2nd decision to pause funding for what they described in their notification letter as “certain administrative and technological functions in schools.”
Here’s the key part of what U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr. wrote in a 70-page ruling:
The ruling reads that the USDA “must immediately unfreeze and release to the state of Maine any federal funding that they have frozen or failed or refused to pay because of the state of Maine’s alleged failure to comply with the requirements of Title IX.”
The administration is also “barred from freezing, terminating, or otherwise interfering with the state of Maine’s future federal funding for alleged violations of Title IX without complying with the legally required procedure.”
BREAKING: A federal judge has barred the Trump administration from freezing funds used by Maine to pay for school lunches and food for kids/adults in day care settings. https://t.co/PAGlua9FXz pic.twitter.com/in5z6tVClH
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 11, 2025
We’ll keep you updated on developments. As always, stay tuned.
-Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter/X.-
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
“The check is in the mail.” This is a twofer since the Left will not be sure if there is a check, and if the delay is just due to what the Left did to the postal service.
As I have previously stated
As bad as boys playing in girls sports, it is trivial compared to the evil of chemically and surgically mutilating the mentally ill.
Its pure evil to enhance and assist in perpetuating their delusions.
Maine’s position is “… that does not change the fact that Title IX mandated equal access to athletic resources and facilities on the basis of sex – not on the basis of gender identity.” is easily resolved using historical context. Transgender women (a man or boy with gender dysphoria) can have equal access by competing on male teams. Football, hockey, baseball, wrestling, track, cross country, soccer gymnastics all have male teams at most schools. Maybe even volleyball. Field hockey might get sticky, but based on sex, there are other sports that person can qualify for.
A land grant university? Why do those still exist?
irv:
They were originally created to provide a basis for the education of military officers outside the channels of the military academies (West Point, Annapolis, etc.).
They still provide for ROTC training, even though several of the land-grant universities attempted to kick them off campus.
Via perplexity.ai:
There are currently 112 land-grant colleges and universities in the United States. This includes:
57 institutions established under the Morrill Act of 1862.
19 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) designated under the Morrill Act of 1890.
35 tribal colleges designated under the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994.
One additional private institution, Tuskegee University, which is considered a land-grant institution due to its unique status
Via me:
They generally run “cooperative extension” programs. 4-H in FL is run by University of Florida. It’s a good program.
What a hill to die on. Note that Maine assistant AG and Governor are both female yet they prefer to adhere to the progressive line rather than protect women and girls in their state. Stupid is as stupid does.
Yes, but the governor has such a sweet face. That oughta count for something.
Trump is a granny-killer!
Maine may have a point in that the geniuses on SCOTUS have decided that transgender is a protected sexual orientation (Bostock v Clayton County, GA)
Be sure to thank Donald Trump for that. GORSUCH delivered the opinion of the Court.
Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump…..
Exactly. This is on Trump. You will notice that the two dissenters in the decision were Alito and Thomas, both appointed by the Bushes, you know, the RINO, GOPe, globalists, etc. God help us if Trump is allowed to appoint another person to the Supreme Court.
Shut up, you idiot.
And quit upvoting yourself. You’re not fooling anyone.
Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump…..
Be sure to upvote yourself again.
There is one and only one reason that transgender is now a protected class like sexual orientation. It is because of Donald F. Trump and his choice of Supreme Court nominees
Again, who is Donald F. Trump? Donald J. Trump appointed three Justices to the Supreme Court but Donald F. Trump has never held public office.
At least you followed Paula’s suggestion, Dickweed.
May you next take the suggestion to leave.
Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump…..
Trump has made three appointments to SCOTUS. 3 votes at SCOTUS ain’t a majority and a majority is required to create a ruling.
transgender is not a sexual orientation, protected or otherwise. Sexual orientations are heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, and I guess nonsexual. Transgenderism is a medical condition whereby someone does not identify with their biological sex.
Asexual rather than non-sexual. Paedophilia is also a sexual orientation though many argue sexual orientations deemed unacceptable should be classified as aberrations, as homosexuality was until recently.
Whlle the prefer ‘asexual’ they are not asexual–a condition that denotes not having A sex, rather than not having sex.. Frequently they are not even ‘non-sexual’.
What they tend to be is extremely picky and satisfied with onanism until the right person comes along.
Paedophilia is an aberration.
As is homosexuality even though it is an orientation.
They are aberrations because they lack function or work against human survival.
Sexual orientation refers to which types of genital contact one prefers, not what AGE one prefers.
So-called “transgenderism” is a mental illness.
“Collins weighed in on Friday’s developments as well, saying she agreed with the federal government’s position on Title IX but vowing she would continue to fight for Maine’s federal funding:”
What an absolute garbage statement, akin to “I agree they should obey the law, but I’m going to continue to fight for robbing banks.”
The voters are the problem.
DOJ best get the central point correct, or their case will simply die from a thousand paper cuts. IE: there’s no such things as ‘trans’ gender, ‘trans indentified, etc. One either has XX or XY. Immutable from birth.
‘Trans’ is a Latin prefix that means ‘beyond’. There’s no such thing as ‘beyond gender’ or ‘beyond indentified’. As such, this ‘trans’ crap is a biology denying LIE embraced by the mentally ill. It’s a demonic ideology that has driven nearly ALL murderous terrorist attacks the previous 4 years.
Kill it with fire, salt the earth, and curse its memory forever. Never again.
Trans also signifies “across,” as in transit, transport, and “Trans-Canada Highway,”
This is the sense in which it used for cross-sex (dressers, cosplayers, patients).
As usual Collins is trying to appease everyone and offend no one. “I agree that boy should not be in girls locker rooms but I don’t want the Federal Government to do anything about it. Keep the gravy train rolling”.
I am curious about the relevancy of the federal court cases cited by the Maine assistant attorney general. Do these determine that gender identity is indeed the basis for title IX? In my mind, gender identity (as I perceive that it is defined) is entirely subjective whereas one’s sex (as determined by the existence of one’s biological machinery and plumbing to support one of two possible gametes) is decidedly objective. My state seems to think title IX is based on the subjective gender identity rather than the objective biological sex. I don’t think that good law is based on the subjective and rather should be based, if at all possible. on the objective (testable).
soooooo important not to have transgenders playing women’s sports.
But hey , plays well to the close minded redhat boogerpick crowd.
Do you support the rights of women?
The only thing this thing supports is abortion 24×7 365/366 days per year up until birth and given their unhinged statements probably well after that as well.
That’s an interesting proposal you have to eliminate women’s sporting events and only have ‘open’ events instead of separate competitive categories for Men and Women.
As an aside I read the olympics is going to add more mixed gender sports which I don’t think is a bad idea depending upon the sport that is.
I would prefer the return to primacy of the traditional Olympic events of the modern era and to junk the newish events like ‘break dancing’.
I’d like a happy medium. Some of the traditional events including standing long and high jump. Newer events include Judo and other martial arts. Break dancing can go though.
To clarify I mean events that don’t have an analogue to a historical sport. Judo and other Martial Art events can point to wrestling and boxing but just what does ‘break dancing’ point to?
Break dancing like rap and hip hop point to bad taste.
There are a lot of events I’d eliminate if given a choice.
Scott Adams is a big proponent of this, which I think is terribly wrong.
No one cares what you think.
It has nothing to do with what I think. It is a fact. “Facts are stubborn things”, said President John Adams. Go look at Scott Adam’s website.
Junior: you said “Scott Adams is a big proponent of this, which I think is terribly wrong.”
Did you not?
After I told you the truth, which is “no one cares what you think,” your next idiotic post states “It has nothing to do with what I think. It is a fact.”
It must be a fact that you think he’s wrong, but you sure as hell haven’t PROVED him wrong. So we’re back to what you think, and no one cares about that.
Grammar and logic. Something you know very little about.
Of course, people like you do not think about grammar and logic. Facts are stubborn things. Reality is real. You need to face reality. I don’t agree with Scott Adams, but most Trump supporters follow him and agree with him, even though he thinks trans should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
Where are your facts, Junior? You keep yapping about them but you’ve yet to post any.
By the way, dumbass, regarding Scott Adams. Post proof that “most Trump supporters follow him and agree with him.”
You haven’t posted any “facts” yet, dumbass.
And you call yourself a lawyer?
If you are, you really suck at it.
Quit upvoting yourself, dufus.
The one and only reason that trans have constitutional rights to play on girls teams, change clothes in girls locker rooms, transition to pretend that they are females/males despite what their parents want or their birth certificate says, is because of Donald F. Trump and his Supreme Court nominees.
Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump….. Trump…..
Junior: fail, yet again. Still no “facts.”
And quit the “Donald F. Trump” bullshit.
I always look forward to your posts—so I can give them a thumbs down.
I don’t even read its gibberish anymore, Hurts my eyes,
“But hey , plays well to the close minded redhat boogerpick crowd.”
The only boogerpicker here is you, TransJuniorVestite. That’s why your skull is partially caved in.
You dickweeds yap constantly about equity. What’s equitable about a biological man with a crossdressing fetish stealing podium positions from biological females?
Eh?
Of course, even a woman could spike your face into the next court.
How about we just eliminate all these grants and funding programs entirely? If Maine or any other State wants to fund them at their Universities they can do so but not on the dime of Federal Taxpayer.
There are over 500, 000 athletes competing in the NCAA. Less than 10 are trans. But the federal Gov’t NEEDS to fix this egregious problem. SMMFH.
LAFFFFFRIOT
Seems like an easy fix to simply keep biological males and biological females in separate competitive categories and out of each others locker rooms. That’s what we’ve done for generations on end b/c there are significant differences between the men and women; size,strength, power, bone density, mass, endurance/lung capacity. Can’t wish those away by choosing a preferred pronoun or even by surgery.
The folks making the stink are lefty wokiestas attempting to require the rest of society reorder itself to the demands of the infinitesimally tiny sliver minority.
It’s an issue for the governing body of the sport, not the Federal Gov.t
Based on UN numbers over 900 male athletes have taken women’s spots in over a year. Extrapolate that by a factor of 3 will remove all women knocked from competition by the men competing, scholarships lost as well. This epidemic of trans competing in women’s sports is erasing women’s sports and creating the situation of men’s category and mixed category and no women’s sports. Injuries, verified by the UN are increasing over women’s sports as well. Does someone need to die (that rabbit punch in the Olympics could easily have done that in boxing, thankfully the man didn’t kill her) before it is important? Or are women that insignificant , that we don’t matter?
So if so few trangender athletes are competing, then what’s the big deal about banning it? Ban it and let’s move on. It’s no big deal to ban it, right?
and most federations have. It’s not an issue for the Fed Govt. Especially when we have a MORON who likes to pander to his uninformed homophobe transophobe base.
There are four dozen mushrooms in your refrigerator.
Fewer than five are poisonous,
Enjoy your Portobello Risotto tonight.
So, what you’re saying is that we have to abandon biological reality in all aspects of sports to appease less than ten people?
That makes sense to you?
Mentally ill boys on girls’ teams is just another egregious example of the camel’s nose in the tent. If they can get the masses to swallow that, then the sky’s the limit.
Easy solution to this crap. Have Boy, Girls and an Open division for sports and you compete in the one your biology says you are or you can jump into the open one. I do find it mystifying what sense of accomplishment a boy who can’t compete with other boys declares himself a girl and beats up on them. You don’t see many girls going the other way so I guess that biology thing is real.
Well there’s a different problem too, girls in contact sports esp. wrestling taking advantage of the greater sensitivity of the male crotch. Multiple examples. It cuts both ways, proving even more that the “biology thing” is real.
The judge is claiming (1) Title IX may not have changed, even though Trump clearly changed it, and (2) the usual thing these judges say: that Trump’s action is “arbitrary and capricious” because it doesn’t cite caselaw.
Well duh, it’s a case of first impression, there is no caselaw yet. But the judge is being intentionally obtuse.
How long will this un-appealable TRO go on? Maybe Trump should appeal it to SCOTUS because it acts more like a preliminary injunction. The court says ““this outcome is a mere by-product of [this] court’s primary function of reviewing the Secretary’s interpretation of federal law.” (bottom of p. 43) so it has already reviewed the law and is issuing this order/injunction.
This court is wrong, and it will probably take SCOTUS to say so.
Maine is not ordered to post security for this money. The security it’s required to post is only $1000.
This is maybe the best comment ever to apply to the transgender lunacy:
‘Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities’
Voltaire
Why do we insist on using the term transgender when it is impossible to change a person’s gender?. These people are males who pretend to be females and females who pretend to be males. No matter what doctors do they can’t trans a person into a different gender.
Leave a Comment