AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A lawyer for laid-off prison workers is demanding that Gov. Paul LePage reopen the Downeast Correctional Facility immediately, but no action is expected before Monday.
Attorney David Webbert says he’ll return to court if the administration doesn’t comply with a judge’s order to reopen the prison the governor shut down last month.
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy ruled the governor didn’t have authority to shutter the prison but left it up to the Department of Corrections to determine staffing and the number of inmates.
A letter from Webbert’s law firm says the administration quickly closed the prison, so it should be able to reopen it just as quickly.
LePage spokeswoman Julie Rabinowitz says the governor intends to discuss the matter with Corrections Commissioner Joseph Fitzpatrick and attorneys on Monday.
