Petition seeking Tarrant County judge’s removal from office dismissed by Texas judge – Fort Worth Report

Petition seeking Tarrant County judge’s removal from office dismissed by Texas judge  Fort Worth Report

A district court judge said former legislator Lon Burnam did not prove Tim O’Hare committed official misconduct. A Texas district court judge dismissed a legal petition seeking Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare’s removal from office, less than two weeks after it was filed in court. Former state lawmaker Lon Burnam filed the petition Sept. 9, alleging official misconduct or incompetency by O’Hare for his repeated removal of speakers, including Burnam, from commissioners court meetings. Burnam, 73, represented Tarrant County in the Texas House for 18 years as a Democrat and is a frequent speaker at commissioners court meetings. Judge James S. Johnson of the 431st Judicial District Court dismissed the petition Monday, saying the facts presented by Burnam and his attorney were not sufficient in proving official misconduct or incompetency.

Instead, Burnam’s allegations “present a dispute about the lawful scope of meeting control,” Johnson wrote in a court filing. O’Hare celebrated the dismissal in a news release sent by his reelection campaign Monday. 📣 Your Community. Your News. Your Voice.Every day, our team at the Fort Worth Report is working hard to build a news outlet that is free, fair and local. “The court dismissed the case at the cost of radical activist Lon Burnam, leaving Burnam responsible for the costs of the failed removal effort,” the release stated. Reached