⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

Patty Jones challenges the dismissal of her civil-rights lawsuit arising from police visits to her home in Lamar County, Texas. In February twenty nineteen, officers investigated allegations of telephone harassment. Jones alleges that during the encounters officers pulled her from a bathroom while she was partially undressed and later took her to jail. These are disputed allegations, not findings that the officers violated the law. She sued in federal court, asserting false arrest, excessive force, and other claims. After other claims were dismissed, the court required a more detailed response to Deputy Anson Amis's qualified-immunity defense, then dismissed the remaining false-arrest and excessive-force claims. The appeal concerns both the alleged police conduct and whether Jones's filings satisfied court orders and preserved her arguments for appellate review. Ms. Lewis will ask the Fifth Circuit to revive Jones's claims; the defendants will urge the court to leave the dismissal in place.

Jones v. Lamar County (No. 25-40806) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued October 5, 2026.