Judge Rosie Speedlin-Gonzalez of Bexar County Court 13 has been suspended without pay following her indictment for unlawfully restraining an attorney. She has served on the bench since 2019, when she became the first publicly homosexual judge elected in the county.
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC), which is responsible for investigating allegations of this kind, issued the order of suspension against the Democrat judge on Thursday.
“Having considered the indictment, the Commission concluded that Judge Speedlin-Gonzalez is charged with one count of Unlawful Restraint: Peace Officer/Judge, a Second-Degree Felony, and one count of Official Oppression, a Class A Misdemeanor,” the order stated.
“The Commission determined that ROSIE SPEEDLIN-GONZALEZ, should be SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY from the judicial office of County Court at Law No. 13, Bexar County, Texas,” the order continued. “[T]his suspension shall remain in effect until the charges set forth in the Indictment are dismissed, Judge Speedlin-Gonzalez is acquitted of all charges in the Indictment, or upon further order(s) of the Commission.”
Judge Speedlin-Gonzalez’ legal troubles stem from a December 2024 incident in which she reportedly handcuffed San Antonio defense attorney Elizabeth Russell during a courtroom dispute.
Background
On December 17, 2024, Russell was appearing before Speedlin-Gonzalez with her client during a hearing to revoke probation. When the client responded to one of the allegations by pleading “true,” Russell asked for a moment to confer with her client.
Speedlin-Gonzalez rejected this request, asserting that attorneys are not allowed to coach their clients. Russell then objected to proceeding with the hearing. Speedlin-Gonzalez threatened to hold Russell in contempt, saying that she is “not allowed to be argumentative and argue just for the sake of argument.”
The judge then directed a bailiff to take Russell into custody and “put her in the box,” where she proceeded to lecture the attorney.
“You will not run around these courtrooms, especially [court number] 13, and think that you can just conduct yourself in the way you’ve been conducting yourself for at least the last six years, Ms. Russell,” said Speedlin-Gonzalez.
Criminal Charges
Following Russell’s release, she filed a criminal complaint against Speedlin-Gonzalez, alleging unlawful restraint. Speedlin-Gonzalez was indicted on January 29, 2026 by the grand jury of the 144th District Court.
According to the indictment, Speedlin-Gonzalez intentionally subjected Russell to “arrest and/or detention that the defendant knew was unlawful,” while she was acting under the color of her office as a public servant.
The judge turned herself in, was booked into the Bexar County Jail, and was released the same day on bond—which was reportedly set at $20,000.
Following her release, Speedlin-Gonzalez returned to presiding over cases up until her February 5 suspension by the SCJC.
Additional Context
In recent years, Judge Speedlin-Gonzalez has been no stranger to controversy or disciplinary action by the SCJC.
In 2022, Transportation Security Administration officers found a handgun in Speedlin-Gonzalez’ luggage at San Antonio International Airport. No criminal charges were filed and her spouse was allowed to pick up the gun, but Speedlin-Gonzalez was ultimately hit with a $2,400 fine.
In 2019, she was the subject of a complaint over displaying a pride flag and other LGBT‑themed items in her courtroom. The SCJC initially required removal of the items, but a special court of review ultimately ruled in her favor.
The commission also publicly admonished her for posts on her judicial Facebook page congratulating or praising certain attorneys, finding that the posts could create an appearance of bias. She was originally ordered to receive additional judicial training, but the special court of review removed these sanctions as well.
Former staff members from Speedlin-Gonzalez’ domestic violence court have accused her of increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior toward defendants and retaliating against employees and participants who raised concerns. Local reporting tied those concerns to a controversial “no‑contact” order that some viewed as retaliatory.
Speedlin-Gonzalez’ case has also gained notoriety due to her unique name.
On his February 3 podcast, conservative commentator Matt Walsh briefly covered her story, mostly to make fun of her choice of last name.
“This is a gay Mexican judge named Judge Speedy Gonzales. I have no further analysis of the situation, I just needed to tell you that,” said Walsh. “Your last name is Speedlin, and you’re Mexican. And then you fake marry someone named Gonzalez. Why in God’s name would you hyphenate the names? Why would you do that?”
In a similar case, Uvalde County Judge William Mitchell was suspended by the SCJC in November following an indictment for having handcuffed a delivery driver that refused to deliver packages up multiple flights of stairs.
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