Judge Rosie Gonzalez (via Facebook)
Following a complaint, a Texas judge was forced to remove a Pride flag from her courtroom after a defense attorney filed a complaint against her with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Judge Rosie Gonzalez has presided over Bexar County Court at Law No. 13 in San Antonio since January 2019 and is the first out judge in Bexar County. She told NBC News she was told to remove the flag, a rainbow pen, her rainbow eyeglasses and a rainbow mousepad as well as a Mexican serape.
“It felt like they were trying to shame me and bully me into not expressing who I truly am,” Gonzalez said.
The commission said the flag created the appearance of partisan bias by Gonzalez.
Gonzalez plans to appeal the decision. Her attorney told the San Antonio Express News that judges don’t lost their First Amendment rights when they’re elected.
— David Taffet
