Overview

• Rep. Laurel Libby, censured by Maine House Democrats in February, has petitioned the Supreme Court to restore her speaking and voting rights while litigation continues.
• The censure, which followed her social media post about a transgender high school athlete, requires an apology to regain legislative privileges, which Libby has refused to issue.
• Fifteen Republican state attorneys general filed a friend-of-the-court brief on May 9, labeling the censure politically motivated and arguing it disenfranchises Libby’s constituents.
• Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey urged the Supreme Court to deny intervention, citing legislative immunity and emphasizing that the censure targets conduct, not viewpoint.
• The Supreme Court has yet to act on Libby’s emergency petition, which Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson may decide on or refer to the full court.