'Can a President force compliance with his will?': Maine governor Janet Mills on Trump administration's lawsuit

Maine governor Janet Mills has said the Donald Trump administration's lawsuit against the state for "non-compliance" with Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports is not only about who can complete on the field.

It is also about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law, Mills said in a statement on her X handle.


Mills, a Democrat, called the Justice Department's move a "latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law."

She wrote, "This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, it is about states' rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law. Federal judge Woodcock's ruling of last Friday awarding the state a temporary restraining order reinforces our position that the federal government has been acting unlawfully."

For nearly two months, Maine, the governor stated, has endured "recriminations" from the federal government. She also accused the Trump administration of targeting the state with "politically motivated investigations" which had "predetermined outcomes."

She warned, "Maine might be among the first to draw the ire of the Federal government in this way, but we will not be the last."

Also Read: Trump admin slashes Maine’s funds over trans inclusion in sports

Mills also recalled her "tireless fights" for women and girls, for the health and well-being of children and families, and for the Constitution of Maine and the Constitution of the United States, as a district attorney, attorney general, and governor, respectively.

She concluded by declaring her administration will put up a "vigorous" fight against the Department of Justice's lawsuit.