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Four Tarrant County residents are suing County Judge Tim O’Hare over his decorum policy for Commissioners Court meetings, alleging the rules and O’Hare’s enforcement of them violate constitutional protections for free speech and due process. The federal lawsuit was filed Sept. 21.
The plaintiffs say the policy has “created a culture of fear and chilled protected speech, cutting to the heart of the Constitution’s free speech and due process guarantees.” They are asking a judge to throw out the policy on the grounds that it violates their civil rights.
O’Hare’s campaign rejects those claims and argues the lawsuit is political.
In a response to NBC 5’s request for comment, O’Hare’s campaign adviser pointed to Alisa Simmons, O’Hare’s opponent in his re-election campaign, arguing the lawsuit and others were filed by her supporters.
“They know she can’t win on her record, so they engage in lawfare which has repeatedly failed,” the campaign adviser said.
Simmons responded that O’Hare’s campaign had not addressed the allegations raised in the lawsuit.
“Mr. O’Hare’s campaign response does not address one single allegation in this lawsuit. Instead, it attacks me with false campaign rhetoric,” Simmons said.
“Four Tarrant County residents filed the lawsuit. Constitutional rights belong to everyone, and personal attacks cannot erase these constitutional concerns,” Simmons said.
Simmons said she was not surprised the policy was being challenged in court.
“Your decorum policy here at the county is restrictive, and it’s downright disrespectful actually,” Simmons said. “To give one member of the body absolute power is Crazy.”
At least two of the plaintiffs said the lawsuit is not about politics but about what they see as basic constitutional rights.
“I’ve heard concerns from libertarians, Democrats, Republicans, which is why Republican Liberty Caucus, a group I work with, issued a statement in support of this action,” plaintiff Elizabeth Miller said.
Plaintiff Katherine Godby said she believes the policy has made people fearful about attending Commissioners Court meetings and speaking publicly.
“He’s created an atmosphere of hostility. It’s threatening to go in there, to think that we could say or do something he doesn’t like and get arrested,” Godby said.
Godby said she had not experienced the same issues under previous Republican county judges.
“I think that he has created his own problem; Tim O’Hare has created his own problems here. He could have been open and welcoming and able to receive the critique that we offer, and he hasn’t,” Godby said.
The lawsuit names O’Hare and Tarrant County as defendants and alleges violations of the First and 14th Amendments.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Former state Rep. Lon Burnam sues Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare | 0 | 4.33 | 14-09-2026 |
| 2 | Man jailed after cussing at Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting | 0 | 6.79 | 12-08-2026 |
| 3 | Temp. injunction denied in lawsuit to restore Tarrant Co. polling locations for midterms | 0 | 6.66 | 13-10-2026 |
| 4 | Tarrant County approves plan to reduce polling locations in 3-2 vote | 0 | 7.7 | 31-08-2026 |
| 5 | Vote tabled after public kicked out of meeting on reduction in midterm polling locations | 0 | 8.02 | 04-08-2026 |
| 6 | Dan Patrick directs Texas Senate to study ways to further ingrain religion into public life | 0 | 26.29 | 27-07-2026 |
| 7 | Dallas baby shower goes until 5 a.m. ends in family fight, car chase, & child shot | 0 | 8.03 | 29-07-2026 |
| 8 | Flock cameras roil Republicans and Democrats in North Texas | 0 | 7.2 | 03-08-2026 |
| 9 | Clay County commissioners pass resolution opposing data centers | -2 | 3 | 01-07-2026 |
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