Former Texas state lawmaker Lon Burnam was carried out of the Tarrant County Commissioners meeting Tuesday at the request of Judge Tim O’Hare.
Christine Vo/Fort Worth Report
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare kicked citizens out of the commissioners’ courtroom Tuesday after some in the crowd giggled when a speaker compared Texas to Russia.
Roughly an hour later, the Republican judge demanded the removal of former state lawmaker Lon Burnam, who picked up the microphone while speaking, an apparent violation of a court decorum rule. Sheriff’s deputies hauled the 73-year-old man out by his hands and feet.
Outside the courtroom, residents chanted “Shame, Shame, Shame,” and “Vote them out.” Videos of the extraordinary scenes and unrest quickly circulated on social media.
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Commissioners were debating a contentious proposal to cut the number of Election Day voting sites nearly in half this November from the 2022 midterms, from 316 to 176. Early voting sites would be reduced from 50 to 42. Last year, Republican commissioners voted to cut more than 100 Election Day polling sites.
Commissioners tabled the proposal following hours of public testimony.
O’Hare and Republican commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez have said they want to reduce the number of polling places to save money. Democratic commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles oppose the plan. Critics have accused Republicans of trying to make it more difficult to vote, particularly for low-income and Black and brown voters. Tarrant County has more than 1.3 million registered voters.
O’Hare is running for re-election this November against Simmons.
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The courtroom clearing unfolded hours into Tuesday’s meeting.
“You keep telling us not to California my Texas, while in reality you keep Russia my Texas,” Ambika Sharma told commissioners to light laughter and scattered applause.
O’Hare interrupted: “We’re going to clear the chambers now. I told you how it was going to go.”
O’Hare did not immediately respond to an email or phone call seeking comment late Tuesday afternoon.
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After clearing the chamber, O’Hare allowed speakers to return one at a time to address the court, and residents were allowed to remain in the audience after their remarks.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare at the Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting Feb. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth.
Maria Crane/Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Base Mego, 56, who lives in Fort Worth, planned to recognize the accomplishments of Don Graves, a World War II veteran honored by the court, and urge commissioners to protect constituent voting rights. Mego picked up the microphone to speak.
In an interview, Mego told The Dallas Morning News that he has previously received an accommodation to pick up the microphone through the Americans with Disabilities Act because he has autism and trouble speaking in public.
O’Hare, however, refused to allow Mego to hold the microphone and instructed deputies to remove him.
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A few minutes later, Burnam, a Democrat who represented Fort Worth in the Texas state House from 1997 to 2015, picked up the microphone to criticize O’Hare’s treatment of Mego.
Almost immediately, O’Hare ordered deputies to remove Burnam, who then lay on the ground. Burnam was arrested and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mego said he was upset by the treatment he and others received.
“It’s a complete disgrace,” he said. “Today was a huge slap in the face to all citizens of Tarrant County.”
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