Dallas (1080 KRLD) - A new directive out of Dallas County courts may be setting up a gigantic legal showdown with the Governor.
An order by the administrative judge from Dallas County says starting Monday masks have to be worn in all Dallas County courthouses. The order is signed by administrative district judge Maricela Moore.
“Because court proceedings, including jury service, involve groups of people in reasonably close contact and in order to prevent the spread and mutation of the Covid-19 virus, all individuals who enter the George Allen Courthouse, Frank Crowley Courthouse, and Henry Wade Building for the purpose of conducting court business of any kind shall wear a face covering while in common areas of the court buildings,” the order says. “An individual who refuses to comply with this order may be prohibited from entering the court building.”
The order cites the Fortieth Emergency Order of the Texas Supreme Court as allowing the Dallas County Courts to make the decision.
“It’s a matter of interpretation. Who has the power to regulate what happens in courthouses?” said Ed Klein, an attorney who acts as a legal analyst for KRLD News.
Klein points out that if there is a court fight, it would likely wind up in the Supreme Court, which issued the Fortieth Emergency Order in the first place.
“I can’t envision a set of circumstances in which anyone other than the Supreme Court of Texas would be interpreting its order, versus Governor Abbott’s executive order,” Klein said.