On Wednesday a Houston, Texas judge ordered all residents of Harris County (population: 4.7 million) to start wearing face masks in public for one month — or else face a fine.
The reaction was immediate and fierce. (Fox News)
But Judge Lina Hidalgo’s action, which intended to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in the third most populous county in the U.S., drew immediate pushback — including from the state’s lieutenant governor, who called the move “the ultimate government overreach,” and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who wrote that “commonsense guidelines” should never lead to “unjust tyranny.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick noted in a Twitter message that Hidalgo’s order – affecting some 4 million Texans in Houston and some nearby communities – was announced on the same day as plans surfaced for closing a costly temporary hospital “because it wasn’t needed.”
“These kind of confused government policies fuel public anger — and rightfully so,” wrote Patrick, who has been a vocal advocate for reopening the Texas economy and getting people back to work.
#ICYMI – Read my statement here: https://t.co/dk9CfHOZ0P#txlege pic.twitter.com/VRglpGTgYM
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) April 22, 2020
Crenshaw said health guidelines should be “emphatically promoted,” but he objected to the punitive aspects of the judge’s order.
No. No. No.
Should guidelines for masks in confined spaces be emphatically promoted? Absolutely.
But we will NEVER support 180 days in jail or $1,000 fine for not wearing a mask.
Do not let commonsense guidelines lead to unjust tyranny.https://t.co/VZDceCHha6
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) April 22, 2020
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this is all a plan , china and the rat party workig together to rule the world . this virus was no accident . trump2020-2024
That stupid communist judge has NO RIGHT to inflect her tyranny upon the population in direct violation of our constitutional rights!!
Tell her to eat dung!
I really don’t think imposing more laws and restrictions on folks that have already suffered from isolation is a good idea Sort of an incite to riot, would’t you think? Some folks are home bodies, but I have seen it wearing on them as well. I write. play musical instruments, sing, do art work, acrylics sculpting, ect. I am inventing some things. but even with all this to amuse me I am starting to get edgy.
I thought legislatures passed laws, not judges. Governors have the authority to issue temporary decrees during emergencies, but judges? Is something missing in the story, or is Texas really that different.
Tyranny of judges. Like the one who jailed a county official for NOT issuing a marriage license to perverts. And what the official did was legal. So why are these judges not in jail for exceeding their authority?