A viral cat meme creator is taking the federal government to court after she says she was singled out and bounced from a taxpayer-funded event with Vice President J.D. Vance in Bangor, Maine. Amanda McGonigle, the woman behind the satirical Instagram account @CatsOnACouch, filed a lawsuit on July 7, 2026, against the Executive Office of the President and the U.S. Secret Service. Her complaint says Secret Service officers pulled her out of line at the May 14 event, told her, "we know where you stand," and refused to let her in. The suit asks a federal judge to stop what she and her lawyers describe as viewpoint-based exclusions from public events paid for by taxpayers.
Case Filed in Federal Court
The case, McGonigle v. Curran, was filed July 7 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine and is being handled by the ACLU of Maine. The complaint and press release appear on the ACLU of Maine website, which recounts that McGonigle received advance confirmation to attend the Bangor event but was ultimately turned away at the door. NBC New York was first to report detailed allegations from the filing.
What Happened in Bangor
On May 14, Vice President Vance visited Bangor International Airport to talk about the administration’s work to combat healthcare fraud, drawing hundreds of people who lined up to get in. According to local reporting from the Bangor Daily News, McGonigle was standing roughly two dozen spots back in that line when several officials, including armed Secret Service agents, approached, addressed her by name and informed her she would not be allowed to attend.
About the Account
McGonigle launched @CatsOnACouch in 2024. The account leans on cat memes and sharp-edged satire to lampoon the vice president while also coordinating mutual-aid efforts among followers. The Boston Globe and other outlets report that the account has nearly two million followers and that McGonigle’s online activism has become a visible feature of anti-Vance protest energy in New England.
What the Complaint Alleges
The lawsuit claims the Executive Office of the President and the Secret Service engaged in viewpoint discrimination and First Amendment retaliation by keeping McGonigle out of government-organized events. It points to the Bangor encounter and an earlier registration issue in Iowa, and it asks a federal judge to bar officials from excluding her at future vice presidential appearances, according to the ACLU of Maine. As ACLU of Maine staff attorney Anahita Sotoohi put it, "The First Amendment cannot be revoked just because one of the country's most powerful people can't take a joke."
Legal Stakes
Legally, the fight centers on whether a government-organized, taxpayer-funded appearance counts as a forum where viewpoint discrimination is strictly off limits. The Supreme Court has long treated viewpoint discrimination as a particularly serious form of content regulation, and courts are expected to lean on public forum doctrine when deciding whether shutting a critic out of an official event crosses the First Amendment line, as summarized by the Legal Information Institute.
What Comes Next
McGonigle’s attorneys are asking for injunctive relief, essentially a court order that would prevent officials from excluding her in the future while the case moves through the federal docket in Maine. Reports indicate that the White House and the Secret Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and legal observers told Bloomberg Law that the case could force courts to balance event security and crowd management against free speech protections.
Why It Matters
Beyond one Instagram account and its jokes with cats, the lawsuit tees up a broader question about where vice presidential appearances fall on the spectrum between public forum and government speech, and whether security screening can double as a tool to sideline critics. Free speech advocates and professional event planners alike are expected to watch closely as the case winds its way through the courts.
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