Court records provide context into the verbal spat that erupted in court before Judge Rosie Speedlin-Gonzalez ordered that a defense attorney be handcuffed.
SAN ANTONIO — It started as a scheduled court hearing to potentially revoke probation for a domestic violence suspect accused of violating his conditions of release.
Less than 10 minutes later, it resulted in a defense attorney handcuffed at the judge’s orders.
Now, more than a year after that hearing on Dec. 17, 2024, Judge Rosie Speedlin-Gonzalez has been indicted on charges of unlawful restraint and official oppression after court records show she ordered the bailiff to place Elizabeth Russell into custody.
The indictment gives general details while accusing Speedlin-Gonzalez of illegally detaining Russell while acting in her official capacity as judge, but newly acquired court documents shed light on the courtroom dispute that led up to Russell being handcuffed.
‘Are you going to behave professionally?’
Russell was representing a family violence suspect in the December 2024 hearing in which the state accused him of not checking in with his probation officer as well as failing to complete his 40 hours of community service—accusations that threatened to place him behind bars in Bexar County for up to a year.
Speedlin-Gonzalez was presiding over the hearing. According to the court transcript, Russell briefly conferred with the defendant before Speedlin-Gonzalez asked him directly about the allegations. When the judge did eventually ask if he indeed failed to report to his probation officer, he responded: “Yes, ma’am, true.”
According to the court transcript, Russell then against met with the defendant and told Speedlin-Gonzalez he “would like to recall his plea.. of true, and correct the record.”
Speedlin-Gonzalez responded saying that “attorneys are not allowed to coach answers to their clients.” The judge said his initial response would remain on the record, but that the court would recognize if he later said the allegation in fact wasn’t true.
Court records state Speedlin-Gonzalez then asked the defendant if it was true he didn’t complete his court-mandated community service, and he said, “Not true.”
“OK,” Speedlin-Gonzalez responded, “so, state, you have a true plea for violation of Condition No. 4 that Mr. Collins then withdrew and stated ‘not true’ after being coached by his attorney.”
At that point, things escalate when court transcripts state Russell objected to the judge’s categorization of the events.
“Stop,” Speedlin-Gonzalez said to Russell. “It’s on the record. Your argumentative ways are not going to work today. Stop. Stop, or I’ll hold you in contempt, Ms. Russell. I will hold you in contempt.”
“Your Honor, I’m allowed to speak,” Russell responded.
“You are allowed to speak, but you’re not allowed to be argumentative and argue just for the sake of argument,” Speedlin-Gonzalez countered.
The back-and-forth continues between the two, with Speedlin-Gonzalez asserting, “I get to raise my voice in this court, not you.” Meanwhile, the attorney asks for recusal.
Speedlin-Gonzalez then requested for Russell to be taken into custody.
“Put her in the box,” she said. “We are not having this hearing this way.”
At 2:18 p.m., just eight minutes into the hearing, court records state, the defense attorney is placed in handcuffs as she says, “You need to contact him now,” referring to Judge Sid Harle, who oversees the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region.
Russell continues to plead her case for a hearing on criminal contempt.
Speedlin-Gonzalez responds by asking: “I can hold you in contempt, Ms. Russell… are you going to behave professionally or aren’t you?”
Asked again about if she’ll “conduct yourself professionally,” Russell says “I will” and then has her handcuffs removed, according to the court transcript. Speedlin-Gonzalez begins taking steps to end the hearing early, but the verbal spate continues with the following exchange:
- Speedlin-Gonzalez: “You will not run around these courtrooms, especially 13, and think that you can just conduct yourself in the way you’ve been conducting yourself for at least the last six years, Ms. Russell.”
- Russell: “Your Honor, I’ve only been licensed for five.”
- Speedlin-Gonzalez: “Well, then it’s five.”
- Russell: “And I have not conducted myself unprofessionally whatsoever.”
- Speedlin-Gonzalez: “Evidently you are in an echo chamber of your own thoughts because if you take a survey among the judges and other co-counsels and other attorneys in this county, you will find differently.”
Russell later accuses Speedlin-Gonzalez of “bias and prejudice,” and the judge threatens to prevent her from “being able to practice in this courtroom” in the future, according to the court transcript.
They fling one last threat of filing grievances against the other before the transcript concludes.
Speedlin-Gonzalez was assigned a $20,000 bond and was released after posting bail Thursday, according to online records. As for what’s next, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct may decide to issue disciplinary action in the case; it’s unclear at this point if it will.
Mark Stevens, who is representing Speedlin-Gonzalez, said that “we will be doing whatever is necessary to ensure justice is done.”
“I hope she is presumed innocent and that they will let her do her job,” he added.