Villarreal v. Alaniz
Petition for certiorari denied on March 23, 2026. Justice Sotomayor dissented.
Issue
(1) Whether it obviously violates the First Amendment to arrest someone for asking government officials questions and publishing the information they volunteer; and (2) whether qualified immunity is unavailable to public officials who use a state statute in a way that obviously violates the First Amendment, or whether qualified immunity shields those officials.
Jul 7, 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 8, 2025)Aug 4, 2025Brief amicus curiae of Muckrock Foundation filed.Aug 5, 2025Brief amicus curiae of Law Enforcement Action Partnership filed.Aug 6, 2025Waiver of right of respondents Claudio Trevino, Jr., Juan L. Ruiz, Deyanira Villarreal, and Does 1-2 to respond filed.Aug 6, 2025Waiver of right of respondents Isidro R. Alaniz, Marisela Jacaman to respond filed.Aug 6, 2025Waiver of right of respondent Texas to respond filed.Aug 6, 2025Brief amicus curiae of Institute for Justice filed.Aug 6, 2025Brief amicus curiae of Americans for Prosperity Foundation filed.Aug 6, 2025Brief amici curiae of Young America's Foundation, et al. filed.Aug 8, 2025Brief amicus curiae of First Liberty Institute filed.Aug 8, 2025Brief amici curiae of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, et al. filed.Aug 8, 2025Brief amici curiae of Independent Journalists filed.Aug 8, 2025Brief amicus curiae of Cato Institute filed.Aug 8, 2025Brief amicus curiae of Constitutional Accountability Center filed.Aug 8, 2025Brief amici curiae of Journalists David Barstow, et al. filed.
Aug 20, 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
Aug 25, 2025Response Requested. (Due September 24, 2025)
Sep 5, 2025Motion of Claudio Trevino, Jr., et al. to extend the time to file a response from September 24, 2025 to November 7, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.Sep 8, 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including November 7, 2025, for all respondents.
Nov 7, 2025Brief of respondents Isidro R. Alaniz, et al. in opposition filed.Nov 7, 2025Brief of respondent Texas in opposition filed.Nov 20, 2025Reply of petitioner Priscilla Villareal filed.Nov 25, 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/12/2025.
Jan 5, 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/9/2026.
Jan 12, 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/16/2026.
Jan 20, 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/23/2026.
Feb 13, 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/20/2026.
Feb 18, 2026Record Requested.
Feb 18, 2026Electronic record from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is available on PACER.
Mar 12, 2026Electronic record received from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Mar 16, 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/20/2026.
Mar 23, 2026Petition DENIED. Justice Sotomayor, dissenting from the denial of certiorari. (Detached Opinion)
Recommended Citation: Villarreal v. Alaniz, SCOTUSblog, https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/villarreal-v-alaniz/