NBC News By Lawrence Hurley 6/20/2024
The Supreme Court on Thursday revived a civil rights claim brought by a Texas woman who served on a small-town council and was arrested following her criticisms of a senior official.
The ruling on an 8-1 vote gives Sylvia Gonzalez another chance to bring a retaliation claim, with the court sending the case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
"No one should have to go through what I went through, and with this decision, I'm confident it won't happen again," Gonzalez said in a statement.
The case focused on the scope of a 2019 Supreme Court ruling called Nieves v. Bartlett, which said plaintiffs generally cannot bring retaliation claims when police make lawful arrests.
Gonzalez, who was 72 at the time, was arrested in 2019 soon after having taken office as a council member in Castle Hills, Texas. She had run for election as a critic of the city manager.
Gonzalez was charged with inappropriately removing a government document, identified as a citizen petition she had prepared.
More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-texas-councilmember-arrest-sylvia-gonzalez-lawsuit-rcna151050
