The grandmother said that she was so shocked about being arrested that she thought it was a joke.

"Still, I thought it was a kind of joke, someone playing a prank– until I was put in the back of the police car," Thornton told Fox 5 Vegas. "I have always believed that when you have plenty, you should share."

The Institute for Justice (IJ) filed a federal lawsuit against Bullhead City in October 2022 on Norma's behalf.

IJ  now reports that a new ruling from a U.S. district court has concluded that the law in Bullhead City, Arizona, making it a crime to share food in public parks for "charitable purposes" is constitutional.

IJ Senior Attorney Paul Avelar shared, "Americans have a constitutional right to engage in charitable activities and cities can't pass laws that outlaw doing so. The district court failed to grapple with the fact that charity is deeply rooted in American history, and we look forward to proving to the appeals court that Bullhead City's actions criminalizing charity violate Norma's right to help others."

The district court ruled that "the right to serve one's community, while important, is not a fundamental right."

For decades, Norma has helped the less fortunate in various cities, a passion that continued when she retired and moved to Bullhead City.

"Being told that I cannot feed the hungry is absolutely heartbreaking to me, which is why I will continue fighting against this unjust law," she shared. "All I want to do is help people in my community, so they can survive and get back on their feet. It makes no sense for the city to prevent me from doing so."