Three Austin women are taking Texas officials to federal court after being told they are no longer welcome on their own Capitol grounds. In a lawsuit filed Monday, they argue that tickets they received following their arrests at an August 2025 protest effectively ban them from the Texas State Capitol complex and trample their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
According to KXAN, the suit names state leaders and the Texas State Preservation Board as defendants. One of the plaintiffs, Angel Carroll, told the outlet that “her ticket says she is not allowed on the complex” after Texas Department of Public Safety officers arrested her and two other women during the August demonstration.
What happened in August
The arrests came during a heated special legislative session over congressional redistricting, when dozens of House Democrats fled the state in an attempt to deny a quorum and stall Republican-backed maps. As lawmakers trickled back to Austin, protests swelled outside and inside the Capitol.
The Associated Press reported that once Democrats returned, they were assigned round-the-clock Texas Department of Public Safety monitoring to prevent another walkout, and that security enforcement around the Capitol ramped up during the August sessions.
Who the preservation board is
The lawsuit also targets the Texas State Preservation Board, the agency that, under state law, is responsible for preserving and maintaining the Capitol building, its underground extension and the surrounding grounds. The board’s strategic plan spells out its mission to manage the State Capitol and its grounds, putting the agency squarely at the center of any dispute over who can be on the property and under what conditions. Texas State Preservation Board
What the lawsuit argues
In their federal complaint, the women argue that the Capitol bans go too far, unlawfully restricting political speech and peaceful assembly in one of the state’s most symbolic public spaces. They say the bans violate their rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
KXAN reports that the filing specifically challenges the legal authority used to keep the plaintiffs off the Capitol complex, setting up a courtroom test of how far state officials can go when protests collide with heightened security.
What's next
It is not yet clear when a judge will hear the case or what precise remedies the women will ultimately seek. For now, the filing pushes the question of who gets to stand on the Texas Capitol grounds, and under what circumstances, into the federal courts.
However it lands, the case could help define the limits of bans and trespass notices around the Capitol during protests and high-stakes legislative fights, and how state power is balanced against the public’s right to show up and be heard.
