PORTLAND, ME (September 8, 2026) – U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann today issued a 32-page decision denying our motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in our Maine religious exemption lawsuit. The temporary restraining order would have allowed James Childs’s son to attend school until a separate hearing on the preliminary injunction request could be help. The preliminary injunction would have allowed the child to attend school throughout the entirety of the legal proceedings in the case.
The good news is that, in denying the preliminary injunction request along with the temporary restraining order, the court provided us with a path to appeal (a denial of a temporary restraining order, on its own, generally cannot be appealed).
And we are already working on an immediate appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. If denied there, we will be swiftly filing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Another positive to come out of this decision is that, although the defendants attacked the sincerity of Mr. Childs’s religious beliefs, the court found his beliefs to be sincere based on the record presented. And Judge Neumann also acknowledged the harm being suffered by the child as a result of his expulsion from school:
“…the harm to G.C. [the student] is readily apparent. Missing school is not trivial. Each day he is absent from eighth grade results in lost educational opportunity, a missed conversation with a classmate, and a disruption to his childhood.”
We believe this ruling, while disappointing, provides us with excellent grounds for an appeal. We will of course keep you updated as to all of the latest developments in this case. Please continue to pray for our success, and if you’re able, consider making a gift in support of our ongoing legal efforts.