Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said she is taking action against a forced-masking rule imposed on a municipal courtroom, which is likely violating state law.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Fort Worth Municipal Court Associate Judge Robert Neel McDonald required everyone who set foot in his courtroom to wear a facemask. He even removed a defendant from their hearing because they refused to put on a mask.
A sign outside the courtroom read, “MASK REQUIRED BEFORE ENTERING A COURTROOM.” A court employee confirmed to DX that everyone entering McDonald’s courtroom was required to wear a facemask.
“I’ve requested the signs come down — I was unaware they were even up. No masks are required in any City of Fort Worth buildings as it’s clearly prohibited by state law after the passage of SB29 (2023),” Parker tweeted on Friday.
SB 29, which went into effect on September 1, 2023, prohibits state and local governmental entities from imposing COVID-related mask mandates, vaccination requirements, and municipal orders forcing businesses to close, as covered previously by DX.
“Requested? Demanded! How did this go on with no officials stopping it Mattie? That defendant needs a different judge,” an X user named David Medlin commented in response to Parker’s announcement.
In a different thread, someone with the X handle @jehosephanny wrote, “Um, isn’t that unconstitutional? How’s it the judge’s courtroom? Taxpayers paid for it for God’s sake.”
McDonald serves as an associate judge. He was appointed to the bench in 2006. In addition to trying misdemeanor and felony cases, he is also the presiding judge of the city’s “Environmental Court, hearing cases involving all manner of alleged violations of the Fort Worth Municipal Code Ordinances, among other cases,” according to the City of Fort Worth.
Forced masking was one of several measures imposed across Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. during the COVID-19 lockdowns. While supporters of such rules argued that they were necessary to reduce transmission of the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overloaded at the height of the pandemic, opponents countered by citing the disease’s low mortality rate and detrimental impact on the economy and children’s education.
As previously reported by DX, some private healthcare entities started re-imposing masking and vaccine requirements last year ahead of the flu season. The measures, falling outside the bounds of SB 29, prompted some state lawmakers to call on Gov. Greg Abbott to convene a special session to enact legislation prohibiting such rules.
Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) introduced legislation during last year’s regular session that would have prohibited private COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Joined by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), the bill would have ensured Texans retained the ability to give or withhold consent for medical treatments.
While the bill passed the Senate, the legislation died in the House under Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) after the Calendars Committee kicked it down the road and allowed the session to end before calling it to a vote.