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5d ago

Bexar County Judge Resigns Under Lifetime Ban as Prosecutors Seek Case Dismissal

The agreement ends her judicial career in Texas without an admission of guilt.

Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez became a Bexar County judge in 2018. In April, she agreed to resign and never again seek or hold judicial office. The lifetime ban stemmed from an incident in which Speedlin Gonzalez had a defense attorney handcuffed after the two argued in her courtroom over a ruling by the judge.
Then-Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez was booked into the Bexar County Jail on Jan. 29, 2026, on charges of official oppression and unlawful restraint. The charges stemmed from an incident in which Speedlin Gonzalez had a defense attorney handcuffed after the two argued in her courtroom over a ruling by the judge.
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Overview

  • Special prosecutor Brian Cromeens moved to dismiss the criminal case after an April resignation agreement that permanently disqualifies Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez from serving as a judge.
  • Under the deal, she resigned and accepted a lifetime bar from judicial service in Texas, with a narrow allowance to perform weddings if she does not wear a robe or claim judicial authority.
  • She was indicted in January on unlawful restraint by a judicial officer and official oppression tied to a December 2024 episode in which she allegedly had defense attorney Elizabeth Russell handcuffed and placed in the jury box.
  • The State Commission on Judicial Conduct had suspended her without pay on Feb. 5 based on the indictment, and voters later rejected her bid for another term in the March Democratic primary.
  • The Express-News notes that lifetime bans are not rare in Texas, with about three dozen judges accepting similar agreements since 2012 for misconduct ranging from harassment to non-performance of duties.