A Maine judge ordered Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration to file a Medicaid expansion plan despite ongoing litigation on Monday.

The LePage administration made a motion on June 7 to not file a Medicaid expansion plan by June 11 while the Superior Court considers an expedited appeal, which was denied by Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy on Friday, according to an Associated Press report.

Nearly 59 percent of Maine residents voted last fall to expand Medicaid by July 2, which would provide insurance coverage to more than 70,000 adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. It would also open the state up to receive more than $500 million in federal funds to cover the new enrollees.

The Maine Department of Health an Human Services missed the original April 3 deadline to file the plan and receive these funds, which was cited in the court’s June 4 ruling as a “complete failure to act.”

The harm to low-income Mainers who remain without Medicaid benefits outweighs harm to LePage’s administration, Murphy told the Associated Press.

“The executive branch’s refusal to act and follow the will of the people … has the potential to engender disrespect for duly enacted laws,” the judge wrote.

Gov. LePage vetoed Medicaid expansion legislation five times in two terms of office, saying it will do more harm than good for the state budget and that he considers Medicaid as another form of welfare. His administration laid the blame for not submitting a plan on the state legislature, arguing that they have not found adequate funding to implement the ballot measure, without a tax hike and under LePage’s specific terms.

The full cost of implementing the expansion is a disputed figure between Gov. LePage’s administration, which estimates as much as $58 million in the first year, while the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal and Program Review estimates a need of $30 million in state funds.