Latest news with #Democratically
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court orders Maine House to restore vote of GOP lawmaker who ID-ed trans teen athlete online
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday found that the Maine legislature must count the votes of a GOP lawmaker who was censured after she identified a transgender teen athlete in a viral social-media post. The court majority sided with Rep. Laurel Libby, who filed an emergency appeal to restore her ability to vote while her lawsuit over the punishment plays out. There were two noted dissents, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The majority did not explain its reasoning, as is typical on the court's emergency docket. Jackson, for her part, wrote separately to say the case 'raises many difficult questions' and Libby may ultimately win. Still, she said the justices should have let lower courts continue to deal with the case, since there are no significant upcoming votes where her vote could change the ultimate outcome. The Democratically controlled House found that Libby's viral post had violated its code of ethics by putting the student at risk. She was blocked from speaking and voting on the floor after she refused to apologize. Libby said the punishment violates her right to free speech and leaves her district without representation. Maine state attorneys argued that she still has other ways to participate in the legislative process, and would regain her voting power if she apologized. Libby's February post was about a high school athlete who won a girls' track competition. She said the student had previously competed in boys' track. Her post included a photo of the student and first-name identification in quotation marks. Libby's post went viral, preceding a public disagreement over the issue between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills. The Trump administration later filed a lawsuit against the state for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes. ___ Associated Press writer Mark Sherman contributed to this story.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Supreme Court orders Maine House to restore vote of GOP lawmaker who ID-ed trans teen athlete online
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday found that the Maine legislature must count the votes of a GOP lawmaker who was censured after she identified a transgender teen athlete in a viral social-media post. The court majority sided with Rep. Laurel Libby, who filed an emergency appeal to restore her ability to vote while her lawsuit over the punishment plays out. There were two noted dissents, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The majority did not explain its reasoning, as is typical on the court's emergency docket. Jackson, for her part, wrote separately to say the case 'raises many difficult questions' and Libby may ultimately win. Still, she said the justices should have let lower courts continue to deal with the case, since there are no significant upcoming votes where her vote could change the ultimate outcome. The Democratically controlled House found that Libby's viral post had violated its code of ethics by putting the student at risk. She was blocked from speaking and voting on the floor after she refused to apologize. Libby said the punishment violates her right to free speech and leaves her district without representation. Maine state attorneys argued that she still has other ways to participate in the legislative process, and would regain her voting power if she apologized. Libby's February post was about a high school athlete who won a girls' track competition. She said the student had previously competed in boys' track. Her post included a photo of the student and first-name identification in quotation marks. Libby's post went viral, preceding a public disagreement over the issue between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills. The Trump administration later filed a lawsuit against the state for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes. Associated Press writer Mark Sherman contributed to this story.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Supreme Court orders Maine House to restore vote of GOP lawmaker who ID-ed trans teen athlete online
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday found that the Maine legislature must count the votes of a GOP lawmaker who was censured after she identified a transgender teen athlete in a viral social-media post. The court majority sided with Rep. Laurel Libby after she filed an emergency appeal asking for her votes to be counted while her lawsuit over the punishment plays out. There were two noted dissents, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Democratically controlled House found that Libby's viral post had violated its code of ethics by putting the student at risk. She was blocked from speaking and voting on the floor after she refused to apologize. Libby said the punishment violates her right to free speech and leaves her district without representation. Maine state attorneys argued that she still has other ways to participate in the legislative process, and would regain her voting power if she apologized. Libby's February post was about a high school athlete who won a girls' track competition. She said the student had previously competed in boys' track. Her post included a photo of the student and first-name identification in quotation marks. Libby's post went viral, preceding a public disagreement over the issue between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills. The Trump administration later filed a lawsuit against the state for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes. ___
30-04-2025
- Politics
Maine lawmaker appeals to top court over state House censure for trans athlete post
WASHINGTON -- A Republican state lawmaker from Maine appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday after she was censured by the state House for a social media post about a transgender athlete, a move that comes amid sparring over the issue between the Democratically controlled state and the Trump administration. Rep. Laurel Libby argued that the censure by the House has blocked her from speaking and voting on the floor, leaving the residents she represents with no representation. Libby asked the Supreme Court for an order requiring her legislative votes be counted as her lawsuit plays out. Her censure came after she posted about a high school athlete who won a girls' track competition. Libby included a photo of the student and identified them by first name, with the name in quotation marks and said the student had previously competed in boys' track. Libby's post went viral, preceding a public disagreement over the issue between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills. The Trump administration later filed a lawsuit against the state for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes. Maine's Democratic House Speaker, Ryan Fecteau, accused Libby of violating the state's legislative ethics code and the Maine House of Representatives censured her in February. Libby said in a lawsuit that the censure violated her right to free speech. A federal judge, though, found that the sanction isn't severe enough to overcome legal blocks on courts intervening in legislative functions.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Maine lawmaker appeals to Supreme Court over censure by state House for transgender athlete post
A Republican state lawmaker from Maine appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday after she was censured by the state House for a social media post about a transgender athlete, a move that comes amid sparring over the issue between the Democratically controlled state and the Trump administration. Rep. Laurel Libby argued that the censure by the House has blocked her from speaking and voting on the floor, leaving the residents she represents with no representation. Libby asked the Supreme Court for an order requiring her legislative votes be counted as her lawsuit plays out. Her censure came after she posted about a high school athlete who won a girls' track competition. Libby included a photo of the student and identified them by first name, with the name in quotation marks and said the student had previously competed in boys' track. Libby's post went viral, preceding a public disagreement over the issue between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills. The Trump administration later filed a lawsuit against the state for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes. Maine's Democratic House Speaker, Ryan Fecteau, accused Libby of violating the state's legislative ethics code and the Maine House of Representatives censured her in February. Libby said in a lawsuit that the censure violated her right to free speech. A federal judge, though, found that the sanction isn't severe enough to overcome legal blocks on courts intervening in legislative functions.
