Amanda McGonigle, the creator of the popular satirical Instagram account @CatsOnACouch, has filed a federal lawsuit against Vice-President JD Vance and the US Secret Service. The suit, filed Tuesday in US District Court in Maine by the ACLU of Maine, alleges that McGonigle's First Amendment rights were violated when she was denied entry to a public event in Bangor, Maine, in May 2026.
Details of the Incident
McGonigle registered to attend an event at the Bangor airport where Vance was scheduled to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to combat healthcare fraud. Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling also attended. After waiting in line, McGonigle says armed Secret Service officers identified her by name, denied her entry, and told her, “We know where you stand.”
Court documents state that McGonigle was specifically targeted because of her online criticism of Vance. The account @CatsOnACouch, launched in 2024 after Vance referred to prominent Democrats as “childless cat ladies,” has amassed nearly two million followers. McGonigle has stated her goal is to “have more followers than JD Vance by the time he leaves office and to troll him mercilessly every single day.”
Not the First Exclusion
According to the complaint, this was not the first time McGonigle was excluded from a Vance event. She had previously registered for an event in Des Moines, Iowa, in early May 2026, but never received a confirmation email, while other registrants did.
“It’s absurd that the Secret Service is wasting their time tracking a satirical cat account on social media,” said McGonigle in a statement. “The government can’t exclude me from official vice-presidential events just because I mock people in power on the internet.” She added: “The Trump administration has routinely retaliated against people exercising their First Amendment rights, and this is just the latest example.”
Legal Arguments
The ACLU argues that the exclusion amounted to retaliation for McGonigle's political views and online speech, violating the First Amendment. “Ms McGonigle’s satirical social media content is purr-tected speech,” said Laura Moraff, an ACLU staff attorney. Anahita Sotoohi, an ACLU of Maine staff attorney, stated: “The First Amendment cannot be revoked just because one of the country’s most powerful people can’t take a joke.”
The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as nominal damages, to prevent future violations of McGonigle's rights and those of other critics.
