MADISON - Wisconsin taxpayers likely will have to pick up the legal fees of a liberal group that sued Republican lawmakers for blocking it on Twitter.

U.S. District Judge William Conley issued an order Monday telling lawyers for One Wisconsin Now that they could file a motion by next month to have the state pick up the group's legal fees.

The order came four months after he ruled Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester and Rep. John Nygren of Marinette violated the group's First Amendment rights by blocking it on Twitter.

RELATED:Judge finds Republicans violated free speech rights by blocking liberal group on Twitter

The group's research director, Joanna Beilman-Dulin, in a statement said she hoped the ruling would lead Republicans to "show more respect for the Constitution they swore to uphold in their oath of office."

Mike Browne, a spokesman for the group, said he did not know how large the group's legal bill would be.

Vos and Nygren did not immediately say whether they would fight the effort to have taxpayers pick up the legal bill. They are represented by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, who did not immediately respond to questions.

One Wisconsin Now, a group that routinely criticizes Republicans on Twitter and other platforms, in 2017 sued Vos, Nygren and then-Rep. Jesse Kremer of Kewaskum.

Conley, who was put on the bench in 2010 by President Barack Obama, issued a 30-page ruling in January that concluded the three lawmakers had acted unconstitutionally by blocking the group on Twitter "because of its prior speech or identity."

In response, Vos and Nygren unblocked the group. Kremer did not seek re-election last year and shut down his official Twitter account, @RepJesseKremer. He has been dropped from the lawsuit.

RELATED:Progressive group sues three Republican lawmakers for blocking it on Twitter

Conley found the lawmakers operated their Twitter accounts as public officials and as a result had created an interactive forum available to the general public. Under the Constitution, they weren't allowed to prevent One Wisconsin Now from having its say, he ruled.

He reiterated that point Monday.

"Defendants Jesse Kremer, John Nygren and Robin Vos violated plaintiff One Wisconsin Now’s First Amendment rights in blocking plaintiff from their respective government Twitter accounts," he wrote.

Vos and Nygren are two of the top Republicans in the Legislature. Vos leads the Assembly and Nygren is co-chairman of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee.

RELATED:Judge eliminates Wisconsin early voting limits approved by GOP lawmakers during lame-duck session

The lawsuit is similar to one brought against President Donald Trump by Twitter users he blocked. A federal judge in New York ruled in the users' favor last year.

Trump unblocked them but has appealed the ruling.

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.