Here’s what got a pastor tossed from Tarrant County Commissioners Court
County Judge Tim O’Hare had another member of the public removed from the commissioners courtroom on Tuesday after the man made a snide remark about not being allowed to clap.
O’Hare has a history of removing people from the Commissioners Court meetings. Some have even gone in front of a judge.
Last year, he banned a pastor and a former state lawmaker from attending Commissioners Court. The pastor was banned from attending meetings for a year because he had gone eight seconds over the allotted three minutes of public comment. The former lawmaker, Lon Burnam, had approached O’Hare at the conclusion of the 2024 meeting.
Multiple people have been threatened to be kicked out by the county judge for clapping.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court’s rules of decorum forbid remarks or actions of approval or disapproval.
On Tuesday, Bishop Kirkland, the senior pastor at Greater Saint Mark Ministries in Fort Worth, approached the microphone to use his allotted three minutes to comment on a consent agenda item. Just before, O’Hare shushed someone for clapping.
“Lord, I live in America, where people cannot clap,” Kirkland said as he came up to the microphone. “That is insane to me.”
O’Hare told Kirkland to sit down before he finished his second sentence.
“Sit down. Your time is done,” O’Hare said. “Sit down. Go. It’s not commentary on how we run the court. Your comments are limited to this item. Take a seat, you’re not talking on this one. Next up is Lon Burnam.”
When a speaker signs up to comment, they sign a form stating they will follow the Commissioners Court’s rules of decorum.
“The County Judge maintains the right to interrupt and/or excuse a speaker when the allocated time has expired, if the speaker otherwise violates these guidelines, or for any other matter at the discretion of the County Judge,” the rules state.
Though the rules are open-ended about why the county judge can remove a person, the Texas Local Government Code states that a governmental body cannot prohibit public criticism of that body. This includes “criticism of any act, omission, policy, procedure, program, or service.”
As Kirkland sat down, he protested. O’Hare told him there would not be commentary from him out of the audience.
“Sir, I sat down,” Kirkland said from the audience.
“Remove him from the room,” O’Hare said.
Two sheriff’s deputies stood beside Kirkland as he gathered his things and escorted him to the exit.
O’Hare’s Chief of Staff, Ruth Ray, said O’Hare has never removed anyone from a meting due to criticism “and never will.” O’Hare is a firm believer in the Constitution, Ray said.
“The person in question, a Dallas County resident, was removed for repeatedly violating the Court’s duly-enacted decorum policy through his conduct and then his speech,” Ray said in a written statement. “Section 551.007(b) ensures the public may speak on specific agenda items — but it does not give anyone authority to hijack the meeting, shift discussion to non-agenda topics outside of public comment, or disregard or try to speak over the Presiding Officer. ”
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM.