DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – A District Judge in Dallas county is requiring masks inside the court room.
Judge Maricela Moore issued an order requiring masks be worn inside all county court buildings as the number of COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in North Texas. The order includes the George Allen Building, the Frank Crowley Courthouse, and the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice center.
The order was confusing to some, after Governor Abbott recently made clear local governments can’t issue COVID related mandates. Judge Moore said the executive branch doesn’t control the judicial branch of government.
“The judiciary has broad inherit authority to control the orderly proceedings in court rooms,” Judge Moore insisted.
According to Judge Moore, and other legal experts, an emergency COVID order from the Texas Supreme Court lets lower courts make policy that allows them to operate safely.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
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