But the same could be said about the electric company - turn off the power, and watch as the courtroom grinds to a halt. Or the police department - get rid of the police and there will be no more criminal trials. Or the hospitals - stop delivering babies and we won't have any defendants, plaintiffs, etc. (Yes, I know, reductio ad absurdum).casp625 wrote:If I am looking for court records, scheduling questions, etc., I contact the county clerk's office. While I can see how the district attorney's office is not essential to court operations, how is the clerk's office not essential? In other words, if all the county clerk offices decided to shutdown operations, would courts still be able to function properly? How would a court function properly if the only employees were the judge, bailiff, and court reporter?SewTexas wrote:that's the thing though, if I'm going to the clerk and I don't have to go anywhere near a courtroom I shouldn't have to disarm.casp625 wrote:I'm seriously surprised the Bell County Justice Complex was ruled in violation. It's pretty much 90% courtrooms with a few administrative areas, such as the county clerks in varying areas. Unless someone is going into the bathroom, the clerk office or library, one will find themselves violating 46.03 in a heartbeat.
But the idea that I'm trying to present is that MANY things can be considered essential, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. That line has been drawn, and the area it encloses does not include a clerk's office where so many non-trial things take place. Marriage Licenses, Property Records, Birth Records, etc. ... none of these should require me to disarm just to file them.