1st Circuit Considers Appeal in Lawsuit Against LePage

PORTLAND -- The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a request to reinstate a lawsuit accusing Maine Gov. Paul LePage of abuse of power and blackmail.

A three-judge panel heard arguments Wednesday in Boston from lawyers for Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves and for the Republican governor, and will decide whether to overturn a decision by a federal judge who dismissed the lawsuit last spring.

Eves’ lawsuit accuses LePage of using threats to withhold state funding to force a charter school operator to rescind a job offer to Eves. The flap roiled the Maine Legislature and led to a failed attempt to impeach LePage.

“This case is about one thing: protecting Maine citizens and private organizations from being blackmailed, threatened, and intimidated by a politician willing to abuse government power for partisan reasons,” his lawyer, David Webbert, said Thursday.

Read more: http://mainepublic.org/post/1st-circuit-considers-appeal-lawsuit-against-lepage