Tarrant County adopts new decorum policy after hours of public comment; critics say it gives judge too much discretion

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Jan. 28 voted 3–2 to adopt a new countywide decorum policy that sets registration deadlines, speaker time limits and enforcement rules for attendees at court meetings.

The vote follows roughly two hours of debate among court members and more than a dozen public speakers who urged the court to delay or rewrite the policy. Opponents said elements of the policy — including time limits set “at the discretion of the judge” and the presiding officer’s authority to remove attendees — would suppress speech and create uneven enforcement.

The new policy, supporters said, codifies the presiding officer’s existing authorities and gives the public a single written set of expectations. County Judge Tim O’Hare, the presiding officer, told the court he has statutory powers and that the policy largely memorializes those existing authorities.

Why it…