Judge Rules Against Maine Lawmaker Who Posted Pictures of a Transgender Minor

A federal court has ruled against a Republican lawmaker from Maine who sued the state’s Democratic House speaker after being censured for a social media post about a transgender athlete.

Rep. Laurel Libby posted about a high school athlete, a minor, 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, saying they previously competed in boys’ track.

The censure reportedly disallows Libby from debating and voting on House matters.

U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose on Friday ruled against Libby’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the sanction, the AP Reports.

DuBose said the imposition of the sanction “is not of such extraordinary character as to obliterate the formidable shield the courts have provided to legislative acts.”