In recent days, headlines have touted that Gov. Janet Mills “won” her lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a legal battle centered on Title IX and the rights of states to establish policies regarding transgender athletes.
Some reporting boldly proclaimed: “Maine wins lawsuit over school lunch funds frozen by USDA,” “Maine scores victory in Title IX feud with Trump administration,” or “Maine wins lawsuit over school lunch funds frozen by USDA.” (title changed later by News Center Maine). But dig just one layer beneath the surface and it becomes clear that the narrative of a resounding legal victory for the Mills administration is more spin than substance.
Let’s unpack what actually happened.
Background: The Lawsuit’s Origins
The dispute originated from the Trump administration’s issuance of Executive Order 14201 in February 2025, which mandated that educational institutions receiving federal funding prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams. This directive reinterpreted Title IX’s protections, asserting that allowing transgender girls to compete violated the rights of cisgender female athletes. Notable is that this is not the first time a president has issued new interpretations of Title IX, as the Biden administration attempted at one point to extend Title IX in the opposite direction.
In response to Trump’s order, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began freezing federal nutrition funds to Maine, as its allowance of trans athletes competing in women’s sports does not comply with the order. Maine, maintaining its inclusive policies for transgender athletes, found its access to over $3 million in school nutrition funding blocked. Gov. Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey filed a lawsuit against the USDA, arguing that the funding freeze was implemented without due legal process and jeopardized essential meal programs for students.
Then, on April 11th, a federal judge granted a temporary injunction to unfreeze the funds, finding that while a final ruling wouldn’t be made, the risk of denying kids food money would be drastic. Afterwards, the USDA and Maine eventually settled out of court, agreeing not to withhold funds without following proper legal procedures. Maine then dropped its lawsuit, with the Mills administration declaring the outcome a victory, with Gov. Mills saying, “We took on Trump and won.”
What the Court Actually Did
The court agreed to halt the USDA’s action temporarily, not as a judgment on the case’s merits, but because of the serious risk that children could lose access to school meals. The court issued a preliminary injunction, effectively freezing the USDA’s threat until the matter could be properly litigated.
Then, the USDA backed down. In the settlement, the agency agreed not to withdraw funding without going through formal legal channels. Notably, they did not agree to stop pursuing legal action against Maine but simply agreed to issue Title IX proceedings through the official procedures.
Spin vs. Reality
The Governor’s office quickly labeled this a courtroom victory. But Maine didn’t “win” on the underlying Title IX issue. It didn’t even get a judicial ruling on whether the USDA’s interpretation of Title IX is legal or constitutional.
Here’s the plain truth: the USDA tried to pull funding without a legal fight. Maine sued to demand that the USDA follow legal procedures before doing so. The USDA agreed. And the Mills administration claimed victory—not because they prevailed in court, but because the USDA agreed to sue them before punishing them.
It’s the legal equivalent of the police coming to your house with a search warrant, and you proclaiming victory because you made them ring the doorbell before they started searching.
The Real Issue Remains Unresolved
This case is simply federal courts confirming that legal procedures must be followed, even in Title IX investigations, not a final decision on any of the issues related to the fight between Trump and Mills on whether trans athletes can participate in women’s sports. The real Title IX battle is still on the horizon.
Federal courts have yet to decide whether the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX is constitutional. That question looms large for schools, parents, and policymakers alike. Maine Policy has already done a fuller analysis explaining the ongoing circuit split on the status of trans athlete bans from women’s sports nationally.
So while the Mills administration may be eager to declare victory and move on, Maine citizens—and the rest of the country—should keep their eyes on what comes next.