Tiny Victories

Dallas Bar Owners Are Suing Gov. Greg Abbott Over Forced Closures | Eater Dallas

"One of the Dallas bars whose owners joined a lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott challenging a June 26 executive order that shuttered stand‑alone bars; the plaintiffs argue the closure “serves no rational government purpose” and constitutes an arbitrary, capricious taking of property without due process or just compensation. Filed in Dallas’s 68th Civil District Court, the suit says the order unlawfully singles out businesses licensed as bars while allowing hotel bars and bars inside restaurants to operate at limited capacity, and contends a later waiver permitting to‑go mixed drinks is insufficient to prevent severe monetary harm. The owners sought a temporary injunction to block enforcement, but Judge Martin Hoffman denied that request; an initial hearing is set for July 14." - Amy McCarthy