Two Texans Arrested for Speaking Up | Dallas News

Two Tarrant County officials, former state Rep. Lon Burnam and EJ Carrion, face criminal charges after being removed from commissioners court meetings — Burnam for grabbing the mic, Carrion for cursing and later arrested on a warrant. Both have been ejected before. The charges, which could lead to up to 18 months in jail and $6,000 fines, stem from a county decorum policy critics say is vague, unconstitutional, and gives too much power to officials to censor speech. While the county defends the rules as necessary to keep meetings orderly — noting other Texas counties have similar policies — free speech advocates warn the ambiguity could chill public discourse and allow officials to silence dissent. Legal experts are now questioning whether these charges should be dropped due to potential constitutional violations. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/f3d1b8e6558aeda4