Fight over labor mural removal by LePage not over yet

[Omaha Steve]

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/07/16/politics/fight-over-labor-mural-removal-by-gov-lepage-not-over-yet/


Courtesy of Judy Taylor
The first three panels of artist Judy Taylor's labor mural that Gov. Paul LePage had removed from the Maine Department of Labor offices in Augusta.

By Eric Russell, BDN Staff
Posted July 16, 2011, at 2:26 p.m.
Last modified July 17, 2011, at 5:39 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Maine — The drawn-out battle over public access to a mural removed this spring from the Department of Labor at the request of Gov. Paul LePage — a decision that drew national attention — is entering a new chapter.

Last month, Maine’s attorney general submitted a request for summary judgment in hopes of avoiding a trial in the fight over the controversial removal of the massive mural that details Maine’s labor history.

On Friday, lawyers for the group of plaintiffs suing Gov. Paul LePage for denying the public access to that 36-foot, 11-panel mural filed a response that opposes the request and urges a federal judge to grant a trial.

If U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock grants the state’s motion for summary judgment, it would mean all factual issues have been resolved or the facts are so one-sided that a trial is not needed.

If he denies the request, a trial could convene later this year.

The mural was taken down from the lobby of the Department of Labor office building on March 26 at the request of LePage, who said its depictions were biased in favor of organized labor at the expense of business interests.

FULL story at link.