GONZALES - A judge upheld a verdict finding the Gonzales Police Department's towing practices violated a towing company's First Amendment rights.

Chief Judge Shelly Dick, in the U.S. Middle Court of Louisiana, upheld the verdict that found the Gonzales Police Department excluded Gonzales Towing from its tow rotation list due to the company not supporting Chief Sherman Jackson's re-election bid.

Louisiana allows law enforcement agencies to make towing rotation lists when a vehicle owner doesn't select a company to tow their car. That list was initially managed by the Ascension Parish Sheriff before Gonzales created its own list in 2022.

According to previous testimony, the city didn't solicit bids before making the list. Later, the towing companies left out alleged they were ignored because their owners hadn't supported the police chief's re-election.

Dick upheld the $2,500 fine issued to the City of Gonzales.