Rep. Joel McEntire hit with no-contact order linked to conduct on social media

Washington state Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, is now subject to a year-long protection order related to comments he made to a constituent over Facebook, which the court considered to be threats that go beyond the bounds of First Amendment protections.

The Daily News (TDN) of Longview first reported the news Wednesday morning, citing a Monday ruling from Cowlitz County District Court Judge David A. Nelson.

The district court judge decided in favor of the plaintiff and Longview resident Britney Brown, awarding the year-long protection order and finding that two specific comments from McEntire were not protected under the First Amendment.

According to TDN reporting, the ruling orders McEntire to remove certain posts from his personal Facebook account and to not make any new posts related to Brown for the next year. The ruling also allows Brown to file to renew the order before it expires next year.

The protection order identified two specific posts or comments from McEntire deemed to be threatening, with the first offering to reveal Brown’s personal email and phone number and the second implying a call to damage Brown’s personal vehicle.

“Maybe some artwork should be done to her vehicle,” he wrote.

TDN reported that Brown confirmed that her personal information had in fact been released and that the exposure led her to fear for the privacy of herself and her children. She also reported potential damage to her car.

According to the Wednesday reporting by TDN, McEntire defended his conduct, first arguing that his posts were protected under the First Amendment right to free speech and, secondly, claiming that Brown continued contact with him on Facebook even after filing for the protection order, disproving her claims of emotional distress or claims. The representative went on to claim he believed Brown enjoyed their interactions.

Nelson did not agree, and instead stated that Brown could be interested in continuing to discuss her opinion with McEntire while still fearing harmed.

In addition to ruling against McEntire and in favor of Brown, Nelson also denied a request from McEntire for $3,000 in attorney fees from Brown.

For original reporting by TDN, visit https://tinyurl.com/2nbhnk99.

The recent ruling is the second legal punishment passed down to McEntire this month concerning his conduct on social media and, more specifically, a personal Facebook account.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the Washington state Legislative Ethics Board levied a $500 fine against McEntire, finding that he had misused his special privileges as an elected state official. The board opinion suspended $250 of the fine if the representative can avoid further ethics complaints through the 2028 election cycle.

That opinion specifically found that McEntire had threatened to use his position to access confidential information about constituent and Lewis resident Brittany Voie.

McEntire has received more than 20 ethics complaints through the Washington state Legislative Ethics Board, which until recently had declined to take punitive action on the grounds that the complaints concerned activity on the representative’s personal social media accounts and not one associated with his legislative position.

For recent reporting by The Chronicle concerning the ethics board opinion, visit https://tinyurl.com/bdm3cc65.

All the while, McEntire is also currently running for re-election to his 19th Legislative District seat. He advanced through the August primary election easily, beating out two other Republican challengers, but coming up roughly a percentage point behind Longview-based Democrat Terry Carlson.

Carlson has not shied away from commenting on the recent punishments. He released a statement on Tuesday, just a day after the ruling became official.

“People should be able to disagree with their elected representatives without being intimidated or harassed,” Calson said. “Whatever your politics are, that should be a basic expectation of public service.”