A Texas judge has been permanently barred from the bench for ordering a defense attorney handcuffed in open court.
Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, who presided over Bexar County Court at Law No. 13, resigned her position and signed an agreement pledging never to serve as a judge in Texas again. The deal, reached on April 20th, cleared out several pending judicial misconduct complaints filed against her. Criminal charges tied to the handcuffing incident were also dropped, dismissed what authorities described as “in the interest of justice.”
As originally reported, the incident that triggered the complaints took place on December 17th, 2024, during a probation-revocation hearing. Defense attorney Elizabeth Russell was in court representing Brian Keith Collins Jr., a defendant whose probation officials were seeking to revoke over alleged violations. The confrontation between Russell and Speedlin Gonzalez escalated to the point where the judge ordered the attorney restrained.
Speedlin Gonzalez had been a notable figure in Bexar County’s legal community. She was the first openly LGBT-identified judge elected in the county and had served on a court that specialized in domestic violence cases.
The agreement resolving the misconduct complaints ended her judicial career entirely. She will not serve on the bench in Texas in any capacity going forward.
