United States attorney general Pam Bondi on Wednesday announced the US Department of Justice is suing the state of Maine for not complying with President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports.
"Today, the Department of Justice is announcing a civil lawsuit against the Maine Department of Education . Maine is discriminating against women by failing to protect them in women's sports," Bondi told a news conference, news agency AFP reported.
In doing this, Bondi said, Maine was violating Title IX, the landmark civil rights law which forbids discrimination on the basis of gender in educational facilities which receive federal support.
Bondi's announcement comes after the Trump' administration moved last week to cut Maine's federal funding for public schools over the issue of transgender athletes in women's sports. The Republican's executive order allows US government agencies to deny funds to schools which allow transgender individuals to compete on women's teams.
Donald Trump vs Maine governor Janet Mills
In February, Trump clashed with Maine's governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, on the topic, after issuing the executive order .
"Two weeks ago, I signed an executive order banning men from playing in women's sports. Many Democrats are fighting me on that, I hope you continue because you'll never win another race," he said.
"Are you not going to comply with it?" the president asked governor Mills.
"I'm complying with state and federal laws," Mills responded.
"Well, we are the federal law... You better do it, because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't," the president retorted.
"See you in court," she responded.
Trump's Republicans had hammered Democrats on transgender issues ahead of the 2024 election, capitalizing on a broader culture war over LGBTQ rights.
The MAGA leader has also declared he will "push" the International Olympic Committee to change its rules on transgender athletes before the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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