Judge strikes down Texas law banning some drag performances

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down, for the second time, a Texas law that would have restricted public drag performances in the state. U.S. District Judge David Hittner ruled that the state Senate Bill 12, which was passed in 2023, violated the First Amendment and “is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.

Cathal McNaughton / REUTERS A federal judge invoked the late music icon Dolly Parton in his ruling overturning Texas’s ban on drag shows. U.S. District Judge David Hittner, a Reagan appointee, struck down the 2023 state law that looked to restrict drag shows. In his ruling, Hittner said the law, known as Texas Senate

The judge said the law was so broad that it might have even been turned against Parton for her "flamboyant clothes and breast exposure."

A federal judge struck down a 2023 Texas law Tuesday, ruling that the state cannot enforce its drag show ban as it violated the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech while its definitions were so broad it could have landed the late Dolly Parton behind bars.

Judge cites Dolly Parton in ruling on Texas drag ban  USA Today

Judge David Hittner blocked Ken Paxton from enforcing Texas Senate Bill 12, citing First Amendment protections for drag shows and free speech.

‘This is a profoundly flawed decision that endangers our children and is an affront to Texas values,’ Ken Paxton says A federal judge has, for a second time, struck down a Texas state law banning drag performances in settings where children may be present. In a ruling issued on Tuesday, US district judge David Hittner

A federal judge in Texas has struck down a 2023 state law restricting public drag performances, ruling that the measure violates the First Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague. U.S. District Judge David Hittner, a nominee of President Ronald Reagan, ruled that Senate Bill 12, which sought to prohibit “sexually ori

A federal judge struck down a Texas ban on drag shows on Tuesday, ruling it was unconstitutional—and that anyone who really has that much of a problem with it just shouldn’t go. The law known as Texas Senate Bill 12, which is supported and enforced by Attorney General and Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, would hav

The judge said the 2023 law was so broad it could have swept up “cheerleading, dancing, live theater” and other everyday performances.

A U.S. district court has blocked Texas from banning drag performances as unconstitutional, ruling that is a First Amendment violation.

The federal judge, who cited Dolly Parton in his ruling, found that the state law violated the First Amendment.

A federal judge reasserted his 2023 ruling that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sent back for reconsideration. The law went into effect in March as the case proceeded.