Nellis v. Williamson County, 1:26-cv-02592

The filing, in its own terms:

The complaint was filed on 21 September 2026 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and assigned case number 1:26-cv-02592. The plaintiff is LeRoy Nellis. The defendants named in the caption are Williamson County, Texas, and eighteen individuals — Larry R. Davis, Joshua D. Ransom, Rachael C. Lentz, Luke Cadriel, Ronald W. Barnett, Jamie P. Brooks, Bruce E. Young Jr., Dianna Y. O'Brien, Christopher T. Watts, Jorge Alvarado, Rickey K. Ladet, Aaron Li, Matthew E. Smith, Matthew Ivie, Rebecca M. Rodriguez, William T. Callahan, FNU Karg — together with John Does 1–10. The docket classifies the nature of the suit as Civil Rights: Other and the cause of action as 42 U.S.C. § 1981. A jury trial was demanded by the plaintiff on the day of filing.

What § 1981 covers, and what it does not:

The two orders filed with it — same day:

Alongside the complaint the plaintiff filed a motion to proceed in forma pauperis — a request to file without paying the filing fee, which a court grants only after reviewing the applicant's financial affidavit. That motion is marked on the docket as pending. Under the rules, the complaint is not served on the defendants until the court rules on it; if the fee is waived, the court also screens the complaint before service and may dismiss it if it fails to state a claim.

The same day, a standing order dated 3 August 2026 referred the case to Magistrate Judge Dustin M. Howell, signed by Judge Xavier Rodriguez. The case itself is assigned to Judge Rodriguez, with Judge Howell handling the referred matters. In the Western District that referral is routine and covers pre-trial management; it does not decide the merits.

“A docket records documents, not allegations.”

What the docket does not say — yet:

A docket records documents, not allegations. Nothing in the entries above describes the conduct complained of, the relief sought, or the evidence attached to the complaint — the docket confirms only that a complaint and civil cover sheet were filed, that a jury was demanded, that the fee is unpaid pending review, and that a magistrate has been assigned. Until the complaint is screened, served, and answered, no court has made any finding about any defendant — and the defendants have not responded.

What happens next — four stages, all public:

- A ruling on the in forma pauperis motion — fee paid or waived - If granted, service of process on the named defendants - An answer or a motion to dismiss from each - Only then a scheduling order setting discovery and a trial date

The docket is the place to watch, and it is public. The filings behind these entries sit alongside the wider record collected on this site — the evidentiary record, the Master Timeline 2019–2025, and the county-level records indexed at All Posts.

What the Record Shows:

A federal civil rights case, filed, docketed, pending, and publicly reviewable at 1:26-cv-02592 — that is what this page preserves. Every order that follows from here is public; every finding the court makes is public; every defendant's response (or refusal to respond) is public. The case has begun; the record now grows in real time.