Villarreal v. Texas

Villarreal v. Texas is a United States Supreme Court case concerning a Texas death row inmate’s request for post-conviction DNA testing. The petitioner, Villarreal, challenged the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ denial of his motion under state law, arguing that the refusal violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights to obtain potentially exculpatory evidence. The case was argued on February 25, 2026. Villarreal contended that Texas’s post-conviction DNA testing statute was applied in an unconstitutional manner, preventing him from proving actual innocence. The State of Texas maintained that state procedures adequately protect due process and that federal courts should not interfere with state post-conviction proceedings. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to clarify the scope of constitutional rights to DNA testing after conviction and the availability of federal review for state denials.

Pending decision as of February 25, 2026; the case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and no final judgment has been issued.

Whether the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ denial of post-conviction DNA testing violates the petitioner’s Fourteenth Amendment due process rights, and whether a federal court may review such a denial under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

The case could set a national precedent on access to DNA evidence for inmates claiming actual innocence, affecting death penalty litigation and post-conviction remedies across the United States.