Federal judge extends restraining order against Tennessee’s anti-drag ban
A federal judge has extended the restraining order against Tennessee’s anti-drag ban. Back in March, Republican governor Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 3 into law, making it the first state in the US to ban public drag shows.
Fortunately, a day before the archaic law was set to go into effect, Judge Thomas Parker issued a 14-day temporary order blocking the legislation.
The ruling was reached after the Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theatre group, Friends of George’s, filed a lawsuit against the state. “The United States Constitution – a law that is supreme even to the Tennessee General Assembly’s acts – has placed some issues beyond the reach of the democratic process,” Judge Parker said in his statement. “If Tennessee wishes to exercise its police power in restricting speech it considers obscene, it must do so within the constraints and framework of the United States Constitution. “The court finds that, as it stands, the record here suggests that when the legislature passed this Statute, it missed the mark.” Lastly, Judge Parker also called attention to the broad and inconsistent nature of the law. “Does a citizen’s private residence count?
How about a camping ground at a national park? Ultimately, the Statue’s broad language clashes with the First Amendment’s tight constraints,” he said.
