Eight separate sections of the State Bar of Texas issued a joint proclamation Saturday calling statements by the organization’s president regarding Black Lives Matter, police brutality and disrespect for women lawyers “shocking to the conscience” and “unbecoming of the office he was elected to hold.”
The internal bar groups – including the Asian Pacific Interest Section, Diversity in the Profession Committee, Hispanic Issues Section, LGBT Law Section, Native American Law Section, Texas Minority Counsel Programming Steering Committee, Women & the Law Section and Women in the Profession Committee – said they “stand in solidary condemning President [Larry] McDougal’s comments.”
The eight sections of the state bar said they “fully endorse and adopt” the “Call to Action” issued one week ago by the Texas Bar Association’s African American Law Section, which demanded that McDougal write a formal apology, publicly acknowledge the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and an explanation of his change “in viewpoint about why the Black Lives Matter is an important movement and for not just African Americans, but for all Americans.”
The 105,000 members of the Texas Bar has been in turmoil since McDougal, a Fort Bend County criminal defense attorney who was sworn in as bar president less than one month ago, posted comments on Facebook that it is a violation of Texas election law to wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt into an election polling area.
Within hours, other older Facebook posts by McDougal surfaced, including one from September 2015 in which he stated that Black Lives Matter is “a terrorist organization.” In another Facebook post about a woman lawyer who had been suspended from practicing law, McDougal wrote, “She is hot in her Texas Bar picture but she has meth head written all over her today.”
Six past and future bar presidents issued an immediate statement condemning the comments. Two members of the state bar’s board of directors have called for his resignation.
McDougal posted a three-minute video last Saturday on YouTube apologizing for his comments and stating that he no longer believes that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization. He denounced racism “in every form.”
The Texas Lawbook has made multiple requests to interview McDougal. There have been no replies.
Last Monday, the AALS, after meeting with McDougal for more than two hours, said McDougal either needed to meet the group’s demands or resign. The eight groups endorsed the AALS position.
McDougal told the AALS leaders and others that he has no plans to resign.
The 46-member State Bar of Texas board of directors has scheduled a specially called session for July 27 to discuss the matter.
“We express our strong disappointment in his behavior and are calling on all members of the bar to raise and maintain its standards as an organization of attorneys, judges and the supporting staff that works with them,” the eight bar groups stated in their announcement.
For a profile of McDougal’s life and career, click here.