Overview
- The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, saying Amanda McGonigle was unlawfully excluded from events where Vice President J.D. Vance spoke and asking a judge to stop future exclusions.
- McGonigle says she was turned away while waiting in line at a May 14 event in Bangor, Maine, and was also prevented from attending a separate Vance event in Iowa despite registering.
- She alleges armed Secret Service agents singled her out and told her she could not enter because “we know where you stand,” which her lawyers say was retaliation for her satirical CatsOnACouch social media posts.
- The lawsuit argues the Maine appearance was an official event organized by the Executive Office of the President and that classifying it as private cannot justify viewpoint-based exclusion when taxpayer resources were used.
- The White House and Secret Service have declined to comment so far, and the case could test how far advance teams and security can bar critics from events and what legal standard applies to public versus private gatherings.