Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal of Texas Citizen Journalist
The United States Supreme Court, on Monday, decided not to hear the appeal of Priscilla Villarreal, an online citizen journalist based in Texas, who argued her arrest was unjust. This case has garnered significant attention from media outlets and advocates for free speech.
By declining the appeal, the Supreme Court upheld a split decision by a federal appeals court. This ruling determined that Villarreal, who is known by her online moniker La Gordiloca, could not proceed with her lawsuit against law enforcement officers and officials over her arrest for acquiring nonpublic information from the police.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor voiced her opposition to the decision, stating, “It should be obvious that this arrest violated the First Amendment.”
Previously, the Supreme Court had instructed the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider Villarreal’s case in the context of another relevant Texas case. In June 2024, the justices had also permitted Sylvia Gonzalez, a former city council member from Castle Hills, a suburb of San Antonio, to continue her legal action, arguing her arrest was retaliatory amid a political conflict.
Nevertheless, the 5th Circuit adhered to its prior judgment, and the Supreme Court, this time, chose not to intervene further. Villarreal’s legal team criticized this outcome in their Supreme Court appeal, remarking, “The Fifth Circuit has doubled down on granting officials free rein to turn routine news reporting into a felony.”
The initial criminal charges against Villarreal were dismissed in 2017 when a state judge ruled the law under which she was arrested was unconstitutional. Seeking damages, Villarreal pursued a lawsuit against the officials involved. However, the full 5th Circuit decided by a 9-7 vote that the officials from Laredo and Webb County held legal immunity.
Villarreal had obtained the names of a suicide victim and a family from a car accident, information provided by a police officer, and subsequently published this on her Facebook page. The affidavit for her arrest claimed her intent was to boost her Facebook followers.
