Woke Judge Arrested For Unlawful Restraint & Official Oppression

It was just a matter of time. Whispers in the courthouse hallways and nearby restaurants spoke of a rogue and woke judge. The growing consensus was she was considered being out of control.

The San Antonio judge in Bexar County, Texas, faced indictment and subsequent arrest on criminal charges. The charges followed an incident in her courtroom in late 2024.

Finally, the inevitable happened. During one incident, she ordered an attorney to be restrained. Prosecutors say she ordered the attorney handcuffed and confined during a dispute over court proceedings.

A grand jury charged her with unlawful restraint by a judicial officer, a felony. She was also charged with official oppression, a related misdemeanor offense.

The judge subsequently turned herself in to authorities and faces prosecution on those charges. Court documents show that the criminal complaint alleges she restricted the attorney’s freedom knowingly. She did this while acting in her official capacity and without consent. This action led to the indictment and arrest.

The case has drawn significant attention. It involves a sitting judge accused of overstepping judicial authority. The judge is charged with improperly detaining a lawyer in her courtroom.

Online discussions and those among legal observers have focused on the appropriate limits of judicial power. They also focus on courtroom conduct. Some argue the actions were excessive. Others say judges do have contempt powers, though not the procedures the judge employed.

Gonzalez has had run-ins with the law before. In 2022, she received a fine. She had brought a loaded rainbow-painted gun through San Antonio International airport in her carry-on luggage.

Gonzalez took the bench in 2019 as the “first openly gay judge in Bexar County.” Shortly after, she was sanctioned for pasting her courtroom, office, and robes with gay pride flags. This was in violation of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. In 2023 the sanctions were lifted by a three judge panel.

Former staff members of the court report that the LGBT judge created a “hostile work environment”.

Even multiple former workers and partners with the Reflejo Court program accused Gonzales of erratic and aggressive behavior. This behavior was primarily directed toward defendants and litigants in the courtroom. Others accused her of being “unstable” and prone to violent outbursts.