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The Bexar County Courthouse in downtown San Antonio is a popular place for weddings, especially the popular, free mass weddings offered each year on February 14 by County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark.
The Bexar County Clerk's Office is located in the county's Paul Elizondo Tower, where applicants must go to get a marriage license. And right next door is the county's Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.
The word is apparently out that there are a lot of future brides and grooms strolling on the county complex grounds.
Larry Roberson of the Bexar County District Attorney's Office told county commissioners there has been a problem with solicitors pitching wedding services at the main entrance and on the first floor at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center in particular.
As evidence for the record, Roberson presented commissioners with 11 recent incident reports involving solicitors, including one alleged assault between solicitors.
Commissioners this week voted to update administrative policy on the use of county buildings by the public and non-county entities to curb the problem. Roberson said citizens will be able to freely conduct official business with the county without "incident."
"Right there ... close to the courthouse doors, we can restrict that area, where the jurors are lined up, trying to get in the building," he said.
County Judge Peter Sakai, himself a longtime lawyer and courtroom judge, told Roberson he did not want citizens complaining about violations of their First Amendment right to free speech as enforcement is stepped up. But Roberson said, with Sakai agreeing, that commercial speech has limited First Amendment protections.
Roberson also agreed with Sakai that enforcement would require signs at the justice center prohibiting solicitation and verbal notice before enforcement action, such as a charge of criminal trespass. Roberson said deputies responsible for courthouse security would handle enforcement and be trained on how to do so.
"It's not only that we give (violators) notice, but also that they have notice that that conduct is prohibited in that facility, and they will be asked to leave. If they return to do it again, that's when criminal trespass may come into play, so they (deputies) need to know how to handle that."
Roberson also told commissioners the criminal trespass policy does not single out wedding service solicitors but rather anyone soliciting for their own personal business in high traffic areas, such as the front entrance to the justice center and its first-floor areas. He said there are areas outside of those locations where solicitations would be permitted.
Roberson said he would work with Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar on enforcement training. Bexar County Facilities Manager Dan Curry would work on the signs warning against solicitation and the posting of those signs.
Sakai said there was "more work to do" before enforcement is stepped up.
