PORTLAND — Three lawyers have filed a request for a temporary restraining order against Maine Gov. Paul LePage that would require him to return the controversial labor mural to the Maine Department of Labor building in Augusta.

As part of the request, which was filed on behalf of six plaintiffs, they seek to require LePage to reveal the location of the mural and show that it is in good condition and being protected, according to a release issued by the lawyers Friday afternoon.

The request was filed in federal court Friday by Jeffrey Neil Young and Carol Garvan of McTeague Higbee and Jonathan Beal of Portland. 

The 11-panel mural, depicting scenes with labor-related themes and painted by Maine artist Judy Taylor, was removed from the Maine Department of Labor’s lobby on March 26.

The plaintiffs, according to the release, are Don Berry, training director of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 567, of Sumner; John Newton, an industrial hygienist, of Portland; and three Maine artists: Robert Shetterly of Brooksville, Natasha Mayers of Whitefield and Joan Braun of Weld. The sixth plaintiff is attorney Jonathan Beal of Portland, who requested a public hearing prior to the removal of the mural.

“We are filing a (temporary restraining order) today in order to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, and hopefully return the mural to its rightful place,” attorney Jeff Young said in the statement.

“It is important to remember that by removing the mural, Gov. LePage is infringing on the people of Maine’s First Amendment rights and denying everyone the opportunity to learn about, and be inspired by, the history of Maine’s workers. Our Constitution prohibits our government from taking down artwork simply because it disagrees with a viewpoint.”

Copy the Story Link