New Mural in Downtown Arlington Painted by U.S. Army Veteran Recognizes National Medal of Honor Museum

New Mural in Downtown Arlington Painted by U.S. Army Veteran Recognizes National Medal of Honor Museum

Art lovers and community members witnessed a blend of creativity and patriotism as U.S. Army veteran and muralist Juan Velazquez added the finishing touches to a brand-new mural dedicated to the National Medal of Honor Museum in downtown Arlington. This live art experience took place on the west side of Curnutt & Hafer LLP’s newest office location at 311 W. Abram Street, adjacent to the firm’s flagship location at 301 W. Abram Street. Attendees watched the mural come to life in real time.  

Each element of the mural holds significance. At the heart of the mural appears Minerva, the Roman Goddess of wisdom, arts, and military skill, representing the strength and ideals honored by the medal, and appears on select versions of the medal awarded. The ribbon and stars symbolize the valor of Medal of Honor recipients, whose actions went above and beyond the call of duty. The words across the mural – Integrity, Valor, Honor, Courage — embody the spirit of the Medal’s values, and align with Curnutt & Hafer’s mission and belief system.

The celebration began with brief remarks from firm founders Kelly Curnutt and Doug Hafer, along with special guests National Medal of Honor Museum President and CEO Chris Cassidy, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, and Greater Arlington Chamber CEO Michael Jacobson. American Idol contestant Odell Bunton, Jr. sang the National Anthem. 

The mural is part of the Downtown Arlington public art initiative and was funded by the Arlington Chamber’s Veterans Business Council. Special thanks to grammy-award winning artist Kirk Franklin for facilitating Mr. Bunton’s appearance at this event and to the collaborative efforts of the Arlington Chamber, the Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, the City of Arlington, and the Downtown Arlington Management Corporation.

The mural was completed live during this event, which was the hallmark stop on the Downtown Arlington “First Thursdays” festival, on June 5, 2025.


Photo credits: Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Charity Fitch

The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate:  Where do you stand?

The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate: Where do you stand?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Declaration of Independence, Preamble

Abraham Lincoln called the Declaration of Independence “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” The spirit of the Declaration is seen in our Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

U.S. Const., Preamble

As Americans we prize our freedom, our Liberty. Historically, Liberty has been jealously guarded by the Courts. Over the years, the Supreme Court has sought to explain what Liberty means and what it entails:

“[Liberty] denotes not merely freedom from bodily restraint but also the right of the individual to contract, to engage in any of the common occupations of life, to acquire useful knowledge, to marry, establish a home and bring up children, to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and generally to enjoy those privileges long recognized at common law as essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.”

Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923).

Liberty includes “a right to be free from and to obtain judicial relief, for unjustified intrusions on personal security.”

Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651 (1977).

“[Liberty] is not confined to mere freedom from bodily restraint. Liberty under law extends to the full range of conduct which the individual is free to pursue, and it cannot be restricted except for a proper governmental objective.”

Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497 (1954).

Liberty and the freedoms that comes with it, however, are not absolute. For example, “[t]he most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic … .” Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919). The Bolling court also highlighted an important limit on Liberty – “it cannot be restricted except for a proper governmental objective” (highlight added).

Liberty v. Vaccine Mandates

In 1905, in the midst of a small-pox outbreak, the U.S. Supreme Court held that local authorities could mandate vaccination on penalty of a fine for refusal:

“Upon the principle of self-defense, of paramount necessity, a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members.”

Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)

In South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom 140 S.Ct. 1613 (2020), a local mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenged. Chief Justice John Roberts affirmed the central position of Jacobson v. Massachusetts:

Our Constitution principally entrusts “[t]he safety and the health of the people” to the politically accountable officials of the States “to guard and protect.” Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U. S. 11, 38 (1905). When those officials “undertake to act in areas fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties,” their latitude “must be especially broad.” Marshall v. United States, 414 U. S. 417, 427 (1974). Where those broad limits are not exceeded, they should not be subject to second-guessing by an “unelected federal judiciary,” which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health and is not accountable to the people.

Newsom, 140 S. Ct. at 1613-14.

Right now, the focus of the constitutional debate surrounding the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate is on the issue of federal power versus states’ rights. The opponents of the mandate argue that the federal government is overstepping its federal powers and interfering with state powers under the Tenth Amendment, which provides that “[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

However that Constitutional issue is resolved, there is still an issue whether any COVID-19 vaccine mandate is Constitutional. As we know from the cases discussed above, the power of government (federal or state) may sometimes prevail over an individual’s Liberty. When that happens, however, the government’s actions must be carefully scrutinized so that the government’s power is “not exceeded.” With that in mind, consider this:

Is the COVID-19 pandemic (1.6% mortality rate[1]) a situation where a “proper governmental objective” (mandated vaccine to protect the masses) should overtake an American’s Constitutional right to Liberty (freedom of choice over one’s body)?

[1] Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality)

Congratulations to Our Texas Bar Fellows!

Congratulations to Our Texas Bar Fellows!

Doug Hafer, with Curnutt & Hafer, LLP, and Vicki Hafer, with Vicki Hafer Family Law, have been elected to the Texas Bar Foundation. Foundation nominees are selected based on their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas. Election is a mark of distinction and recognition of their contributions to the legal profession.

Selection as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation is restricted to members of the State bar of Texas. Each year one-third of one percent of State Bar members are invited to become Fellows. Once nominees are selected, they must be elected by the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. Membership has grown from an initial 255 Charter Members in 1965 to more than 9,500 Fellows throughout Texas today.

The Texas Bar Foundation is the largest charitably funded bar foundation in the country. Founded in 1965 by lawyers determined to assist the public and improve the profession of law, the Texas Bar Foundation has maintained its mission of using the financial contributions of its membership to build a strong justice system for all Texans. To date, the Texas Bar Foundation has distributed more than $18 million throughout Texas to assist nonprofit organizations with a wide range of justice-related programs and services. For more information, contact the Texas Bar Foundation at www.txbf.org

Congratulations to Our Texas Bar Fellows!

KELLY CURNUTT, CURNUTT & HAFER PARTNER, NAMED “SUPER LAWYER” FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Curnutt & Hafer is proud to announce that Kelly Curnutt, business trial attorney and co-founder of Curnutt & Hafer, L.L.P., has been selected as a 2017 Super Lawyer for the sixth consecutive year.

Super Lawyers is a Kelly Curnutt, Partnerrating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

The “Super Lawyer” designation is a nationwide rating based on a thorough evaluation process combined with independent research and peer review. Once a candidate is nominated, he or she is evaluated on a dozen indicators, including verdicts and settlements, experience, professional activity and honors. Super Lawyer status, which is granted annually on a state-by-state basis, is given to no more than 5 percent of the lawyers in each state.

About Curnutt & Hafer, L.L.P.

The team at Curnutt & Hafer provides high-quality representation focused on bottom line results. A recognized business trial practice and listed as a “Go To” litigation firm in the Fortune 500 list of attorneys, they have the know-how and experience to solve every legal problem, whether in the boardroom, the field or the courtroom. Areas of practice include commercial litigation, will disputes and probate litigation, oil and gas litigation, franchising, insurance coverage and bad faith, and injury and death cases. Visit CurnuttHafer.com to learn more.

Douglas Hafer, Curnutt & Hafer partner, selected to National Association of Distinguished Counsel

Douglas Hafer, Curnutt & Hafer partner, selected to National Association of Distinguished Counsel

Curnutt & Hafer is proud to announce that Douglas Hafer, business trial attorney and co-founder of Curnutt & Hafer, L.L.P., has been selected to membership in the 2017 list of the “Nation’s Top One Percent” by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel (NADC).

According to the NADC announcement, members are thoroughly vetted by a research team, selected by a blue-ribbon panel of National Association of Distinguished Counsel attorneys with podium status from independently neutral organizations, and approved by a judicial review board as exhibiting virtue in the practice of law. Due to the selectivity of the appointment process, only the top one percent of attorneys in the United States are awarded membership in NADC. This elite class of advocates consists of the finest leaders of the legal profession from across the nation.

About the National Association of Distinguished Counsel 

NADC is an organization dedicated to promoting the highest standards of legal excellence. Its mission is to objectively recognize individual attorneys who elevate the standards of the Bar and provide a benchmark for other lawyers to emulate. Visit distinguishedcounsel.org for more information. Follow this link to view Douglas Hafer’s NADC profile.

About Curnutt & Hafer, L.L.P.

The team at Curnutt & Hafer provides high-quality representation focused on bottom line results. A recognized business trial practice and listed as a “Go To” litigation firm in the Fortune 500 list of attorneys, they have the know-how and experience to solve every legal problem, whether in the boardroom, the field or the courtroom. Areas of practice include commercial litigation, will disputes and probate litigation, oil and gas litigation, franchising, insurance coverage and bad faith, and injury and death cases. Visit CurnuttHafer.com to learn more.