Ohio blogger faces trial over explicit Shrek image sent to state senator
Political blogger DJ Byrnes will be tried on Thursday for allegedly sending an obscene Shrek picture to Republican state Sen. Jerry Cirino, a charge he says violates his free-speech rights.
DJ Byrnes, a 39-year-old political blogger operating the Substack site The Rooster, is scheduled for a Thursday trial on a telecommunications harassment charge. The case stems from a text he sent to Republican state Sen. Jerry Cirino that included a naked, crotch-grabbing cartoon of Shrek, which Byrnes described as part of an internet meme. The exchange followed Byrnes’ harsh coverage of Cirino’s failed bid for the Ohio Senate presidency, during which he nicknamed the senator “Young Mussolini.”
Cirino responded with a complaint to a local police chief, calling the image “disgusting.” Byrnes entered a not-guilty plea, and his request to dismiss the case on First Amendment grounds was denied by the court. Neither party’s representatives have provided comment.
