EXCLUSIVE — Dreaded COVID mask mandates appear to be back in a Fort Worth courthouse.
A Fort Worth municipal court judge recently demanded a defendant be removed from a hearing for refusing to wear a facemask, audio provided to The Dallas Express reveals.
“You either can walk out of here right now, or as many people as it takes, but they are going to take you out,” Fort Worth Municipal Court Judge Robert Neel McDonald told a defendant in the audio.
The defendant retorted: “Yeah, I’m not going to wear a mask. I’m not going to play this game.” DX is omitting the defendant’s name to prevent any retaliation.
Judge McDonald is an associate judge of the Fort Worth Municipal Court, having been first appointed to the bench in 2006. The City of Fort Worth’s website says, “He brings a broad array of experience as a trial and appellate litigator in both civil and criminal courtrooms all over the State of Texas.”
The Dallas Express visited Municipal Court No.2, McDonald’s courtroom, and encountered a sign reading, “MASK REQUIRED BEFORE ENTERING A COURTROOM.”
1) BREAKING:🚨🚨Despite COVID-19 no longer being a pandemic, despite Texas passing a law prohibiting mask mandates in publicly funded institutions, there are courts still enforcing mask mandates. Meet Fort Worth Municipal Court Judge Robert N. McDonald. He is mandating masks. pic.twitter.com/YKo9xSCIpT
— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) July 25, 2024
DX witnessed everyone inside the courtroom — the judge, courtroom employees, lawyers, and defendants — wearing facemasks.
A Fort Worth court employee confirmed to The Dallas Express that everyone entering McDonald’s courtroom was required to wear a facemask.
However, this requirement seems to fly in the face of state law.
Texas Senate Bill 29, which went into effect on September 1, 2023, banned COVID mask mandates, vaccination requirements, and municipal orders forcing businesses to close, as covered previously in The Dallas Express.
Some, such as the author of the bill, Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury), applauded its passing.
“3yrs after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities across the nation continue to impose a hodgepodge of restrictive COVID-19 mandates,” Birdwell wrote on X.
However, some suggested at the time that the measure wasn’t strong enough to provide a comprehensive ban on mask mandates.
The Dallas Express reached out to Judge McDonald to ask about his mask mandate but did not receive a response by the time of publication.