Overview
- X announced on December 29 that it will pay for Michelle Evans’ legal defense and help seek an en banc rehearing before all 17 Fifth Circuit judges.
- Evans, the Williamson County Republican Party chair, reposted a 2023 photo taken by someone else showing a transgender person in the Texas Capitol’s women’s restroom.
- A 2–1 Fifth Circuit panel ruling on December 9 allowed the Travis County district attorney’s criminal investigation to continue.
- X labeled the appellate opinion “misguided and dangerous” and argues Evans’ repost constituted protected political speech under the First Amendment.
- Evans publicly thanked X for its support, and several Texas conservative figures applauded the company’s decision.