Top court upholds Maine's Sunday hunting ban

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that the state's longstanding ban on Sunday hunting is constitutional, dismissing a lawsuit asserting the contrary.

The lawsuit concerned a claim that the state's "right to food" amendment to its Constitution should allow hunters to pursue game on Sundays. The amendment was the first of its kind in the United States when it passed in 2021.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court was not swayed by the argument. The court ruled Thursday that under the definition of poaching, the right to hunt "exists in situations in which hunting is otherwise legal but does not extend to situations in which hunting is illegal."