Editor’s note: This report has been updated with additional information.
ADA, Okla. — A transgender attorney was arrested for contempt of court after a heated courtroom confrontation with a judge that has since gone viral on social media.
Rob Hopkins, a female-to-male-identifying attorney formerly known as Robyn Bernice Bridges-Castro, was taken into custody on Feb. 5 in Pontotoc County after repeatedly clashing with Judge Laurie Jackson during a hearing.
Video from the incident shows the 41-year-old raising her voice, interrupting proceedings and continuing to argue with the judge despite repeated warnings that she could be held in contempt.
Judge Jackson ultimately ordered Hopkins to be taken into custody after the disruptions escalated.
Hopkins accused the court of mistreating her because of her transgender identity and later said she intends to pursue legal action alleging transphobic discrimination. Her social media is filled with trans activist posts.
Hopkins previously operated her own law firm and has an academic background in feminist studies and Chicano/a/x studies. She attended the Oklahoma City University School of Law and was a member of the Women’s Law Student Association.
She also resisted arrest following the contempt ruling, according to footage from the courtroom.
Photos online show Hopkins’ dramatic transition from a pregnant woman to a bearded woman with masculinized features.
Medical studies show that females who go on cross-sex hormones have significant increases in anger expression and anger arousal.
