Texas Bar Alliance Plans on Suing State Over Bar Closure Order

Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance Will Sue State Over Bar Closures
Statewide bar organization the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance (TBNA) is going to file a lawsuit against the state sometime this week over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent order shutting down bars again because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, as reported by KXAN. It will seek a temporary restraining order from both the state and federal courts.

TBNA encouraged its members to continue to stay open despite the order (“we support our members in the constitutional right to protest by keeping your businesses open,” according to its Facebook page), and expressed anger that bars “have once again unjustly been indefinitely closed without one shred of scientific evidence that bars and nightclubs pose any more of a public health hazard than a restaurant, grocery store, big box retailer, convenience store, health club, hair salon, or the many of other business segments that cater to the public throughout the state of Texas.” Currently, the number of novel coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have increased rapidly throughout the state, leading to worries about hospital capacities.

Two bars have already had their licenses suspended for 30 days because they chose to stay open last Friday: The Whiskey Girl in Abilene and Outlaws Longview in Longview. Likewise, a group of bar owners are planning a protest at the Texas State Capitol over the bar shutter order tomorrow morning.

It’s also worth noting that one of the TBNA board members is Bob Woody, whose bar Buford’s Beer Garden had its liquor permit temporarily suspended because it had violated COVID-19 preventative measures two weekends ago.

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