Woman Charged by State of Texas for Calling City Councilman Naughty Name Gets Pro Bono Defense



Austin litigators at national law firm Jenkens & Gilchrist recently accepted the role of defending the First Amendment rights of Bartlett resident Vyki Robbins, who is facing a jury trial brought by the State of Texas for calling Bartlett City Councilman Arthur White an "asshole" during a heated discussion.

A few days after the argument, Councilman White convinced a City of Bartlett municipal judge to issue Robbins a summons for "disorderly conduct."

At a recent court appearance, Robbins requested a jury trial, which has not yet been scheduled. Jenkens & Gilchrist will serve as lead defense counsel on her behalf.

"This is a ridiculous attempt by a public official to trample on our client's First Amendment rights," said Carl Myers, a litigator with Jenkens & Gilchrist and lead counsel for Ms. Robbins. "Just because Councilman White's feelings are hurt doesn't make Ms. Robbins' name-calling illegal. The State's case is without merit and we look forward to vindicating Ms. Robbins in court."

Vyki Robbins says that she can empathize with the fact that Bartlett City Councilman Arthur White's feelings may be hurt by her calling him a name, especially since she is a former Bartlett City Councilwoman.

"I was called the 'B-word' on many occasions by people who disagreed with my politics or who just plain didn't like me," Robbins said. "No, I didn't enjoy it, but I understood the heightened scrutiny that comes with an elected position and I handled it like an adult. I certainly didn't spend taxpayers' money to sic the State of Texas on them."

Jenkens & Gilchrist is a full-service law firm providing legal services to businesses and individuals with U.S. and international operations from offices in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Antonio and Washington, D.C.

Contact:
Petri Darby
(713) 286-2073
e-mail protected from spam bots





Woman Charged by State of Texas for Calling City Councilman Naughty Name Gets Pro Bono Defense