Earlier today, a press conference was held on the steps of the U.S. District Courthouse for the Western District of Texas in Austin, where three Texas women announced the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging their continued bans from the Texas Capitol Complex.

The Austin Community Law Center said the lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiffs Angel Carroll, Jessica Cohen, and Jill Van Voorhis, and targets the Texas State Preservation Board along with state leaders including Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, Dustin Barrows, and other board members. The legal action challenges year-long criminal trespass notices issued following a peaceful protest in August 2025, which the plaintiffs argue remain in place despite the Travis County Attorney declining to pursue charges.

According to the lawsuit, the bans function as an unconstitutional restriction on First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, amounting to what the plaintiffs describe as a prior restraint on future political speech and assembly.

Speaking outside the courthouse, Carroll said the case stems from what she characterized as retaliation following protest activity connected to redistricting debates. She said that after the August 2025 demonstration, she and others were arrested and held in county jail for several hours before being released, and that prosecutors ultimately rejected the charges due to insufficient evidence. Carroll added that the broader implications of the case extend beyond the individuals involved.

“This is so much bigger than one night. When a government can arrest peaceful advocates, ban them from public spaces without charge, and offer no path to appeal, they are not simply bending the rules, they are dismantling the very framework that protects every American, regardless of party and ideology. This is an attempt to set another dangerous precedent and the implications will reach far beyond the walls of the Texas Capitol. If we allow the rights guaranteed to us by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to be quietly eroded without consequence, we will have failed not only ourselves, but every generation that comes after us,” Carroll said.

Carroll said that despite the dismissal of charges, she and the other plaintiffs remain barred from entering the Capitol Complex, including surrounding grounds and facilities, with no formal appeal process available. She described the restriction as overly broad and said it effectively prevents access to public spaces beyond the Capitol building itself.

The plaintiffs also referenced State Representative Nicole Collier of Fort Worth, who previously resisted compliance measures tied to the protest response and remained inside the House chamber for several days in solidarity with demonstrators. State Senator Sarah Eckhardt was also present at the press conference in support of the legal effort, along with attorney Brian McGiverin of the Austin Community Law Center.

The nonprofit law center, which focuses on civil rights litigation and public interest advocacy, said the lawsuit seeks to challenge what it views as unlawful restrictions imposed without due process. Carroll said the group is pursuing legal action after concluding that other avenues of redress had been exhausted.

The case is expected to proceed in federal court in the coming months.

Read full complaint here: