Ohio Blogger D.J. Byrnes Faces Misdemeanor Trial Over Lewd Shrek Text to State Senator
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 9
Ohio Blogger D.J. Byrnes Faces Misdemeanor Trial Over Lewd Shrek Text to State Senator
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 9
Summary
D.J. Byrnes went on trial in Willoughby, Ohio, on a misdemeanor telecommunications-harassment charge after texting Republican state Senator Jerry Cirino a lewd image of Shrek.
Prosecutors argued the direct message was harassment, while Byrnes’s lawyers said the case targets political speech aimed at an elected official.
The 39-year-old blogger, known online as The Rooster, has built a confrontational profile at the Ohio Statehouse; his Substack has 15,000 subscribers and costs $12.99 a month.
The case has become a test of how far provocative digital speech can go when social media and texting blur the line between public political commentary and private harassment.