Texas High Court Agrees to Hear Swearing Case in Tarrant County

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has agreed to review the criminal case of Carolyn Rodriguez. The court granted the request for review last Thursday, according to court filings.

Rodriguez was convicted last year after cursing during a public comment session at Tarrant County Commissioners Court in January 2025. A six-member jury found her guilty of hindering a meeting by disorderly conduct. The court sentenced her to 18 months of probation in June 2025.

Her legal team argues that her freedom of speech was violated. They state that the meeting was not actually hindered and that profanity does not constitute disorderly conduct unless there are threats of violence. Mark Streiff, Rodriguez’s attorney, told KERA News on Monday that elected officials must listen to constituents even when they disagree with them.

“We live in a democracy, and we have elected officials that we elect to certain offices,” Streiff said. “They don’t get to be little kings and tyrants.”

During the January 2025 meeting, commissioners prepared to vote on stricter rules that would prohibit swearing. Rodriguez used her allotted time to protest the new rules by saying several swear words. County Judge Tim O’Hare removed her from the room. She shouted “It’s not against the law!” as officers arrested her.

Rodriguez is a local free-speech activist who documents police interactions on her YouTube channel, Carolina in Fort Worth. She is one of several people recently removed from commissioners court meetings under O’Hare’s leadership. Other removals have occurred for clapping, insulting commissioners, or speaking past the time limit.

O’Hare is running for reelection this November against Commissioner Alisa Simmons. Simmons testified at Rodriguez’s trial, stating she believes current decorum rules limit speech. O’Hare has also faced civil lawsuits regarding these rules, including a federal suit filed in September by four Tarrant County residents claiming freedom of speech violations.