03.25.08
Commissioners Court Drops Dress Code, Not Language Ban
Via AAS, After criticism, commissioners remove dress code from meetings.
After coming under fire from some residents and civil rights groups, Williamson County commissioners removed a controversial rule requiring a dress code in their meetings.
The rule, approved in October, required audience members to dress in “attire suitable for professional or business engagements.”
Some civil rights groups and attorneys cried foul, saying the dress code, and another that prohibits “insulting language,” could prohibit people from attending court and open the door for commissioners to subjectively decide violations.
Commissioners didn’t discuss the ban on insulting language during their meeting this morning, but afterward, County Judge Dan A. Gattis said the court probably won’t remove the rule, saying commissioners had been “pretty liberal” with interpreting it.
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Some Williamson County residents who had spoken out against the dress code in months past, such as Jane Van Praag of Bartlett, said they were satisfied with the court’s action today.
However, a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union said she still has concerns over the ban on insulting language.
“We’re pleased in the change in the dress code, but we’d like to have seen them go one step further and strike the insulting language, because it’s so vague,” said Rebecca Bernhardt, ACLU’s director of policy development. “It could suppress somebody from talking, or somebody would be cautious to speak.”
Commissioners also asked county officials to look into the costs and feasibility of posting video recordings of court meetings on the county’s Web site.
1 down, 1 to go.
remerson said,
March 25, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Is the WCCC living in its own virtual reality? Do they not understand that the Constitution that they took an oath to uphold and defend prohibits their “gag” rule? Or, like the Republican Party in Williamson County (and, it seems, nationwide), do they just not care?
“Liberal” (read “arbitrary”) enforcement of an unconstitutional rule does not cause it to become legitimate.
WCCC needs to be replaced. And that would just be a start!
remerson said,
March 25, 2008 at 4:24 pm
It is curious that the county Democratic party and county Democratic candidates have failed to take a stand on this abuse of power. It would seem both responsible and wise for them distinguish themselves from the current regime in such a manner. That fact that they have not done so may give testimony to why the Republicans have held power for so long–sort of just filling the void.
wcnews said,
March 25, 2008 at 4:43 pm
This issue, T. Don Hutto, the landfill and the WCGOP’s overall unaccountable style of government has been spoken to by all candidates and WCDP meetings.
I’m sure it will continue to be part of all the Democratic candidates stump speeches in Williamson County.
FedUp said,
March 26, 2008 at 8:21 am
Greg Windham has a few (a lot) of comments about that Royal Court.
Eye on Williamson » The Dress Code Is Still In The Commissioners Rules said,
April 8, 2008 at 1:37 pm
[...] on March 25th EOW posted that the Williamson County Commissioners Court (WCCC) had dropped the dress code from their Rules [...]