Supreme Court Resurrects Lawsuit of Journalist Arrested After Seeking Information
Published on October 15, 2024
The Supreme Court on Oct. 15 revived a citizen journalist’s lawsuit against Laredo, Texas, in which she claims officials arrested her for pursuing information from a police source. Major news organizations and journalism nonprofits had spoken out in favor of the journalist, Priscilla Villarreal, known online as “Lagordiloca,” who provides livestream reports focusing on crime and corruption in the border town of Laredo. Villarreal argues that seeking information from government officials is central to journalism. The petition in Villarreal v. Alaniz was granted by the Supreme Court in a brief order. No justices dissented. The court did not provide reasons for its new decision....