( December 19, 2025, 10:04 AM EST) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — A California city police chief who says the department forced her to resign after forwarding reportedly racist text messages filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to settle a circuit split and determine the First Amendment protections allowed for a public employee who says something controversial as a private citizen, a question fueled by the dismissal of claims of retaliation and conspiracy alleged in a lawsuit filed after her termination....