The influencer behind Instagram’s “CatsOnACouch” account is suing so she can attend Vice President JD Vance’s event in Brewer next week.
In a 22-page motion filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Maine, Amanda McGonigle and her attorneys asked a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent Vance, his staff and U.S. Secret Service agents barring her entry. The Maine ACLU is supporting her.
Vance will speak at noon Monday at CompoTech, a University of Maine spinoff company. It’s not known what he will speak about, but this will mark Vance’s second visit to the state this year. In May, Vance spoke to a crowd at Bangor International Airport about the Trump administration’s campaign against Medicaid fraud.
McGonigle sought to attend that May event, but before Vance spoke, she was approached by U.S. Secret Service agents who addressed her by name and denied her entry because “we know where you stand,” according to the motion.
McGonigle runs the Instagram account “CatsOnACouch,” which she uses to lambast the vice president and post pictures of cats, an allusion to Vance’s 2021 comment that the country is being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies.” She has more than 2.1 million followers.
Last month, she sued over being denied entry into the event, saying the administration violated her First Amendment rights.
In Friday’s filing, McGonigle said she plans to attend Monday’s events as well as others Vance has scheduled in the coming weeks.
“Last time I went to Maine to hear what the Vice President had to say, I was singled out by armed guards and prohibited from attending,” McGonigle said in a statement. “All I want is to attend these events in peace, just like all the other people in line who haven’t compared the Vice President to a sentient jar of mayonnaise online.”
The motion contends a preliminary injunction is warranted, because McGonigle would likely prevail at trial and that it’s in the public interest.
“No matter who is in power, the Constitution protects our right to publicly joke, mock, insult, and dissent,” Anahita Sotoohi, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Maine, said in a statement. “The government is on notice that our client knows her First Amendment rights and will fight in court to enforce them. Using humor and satire to criticize elected officials is a long-standing tradition and the First Amendment secures Amanda’s right to continue in that tradition. It’s a testament to the power of speech and the power of laughter that Vance is attempting to silence someone over a cat-themed social media account.”