Trump-Appointed Federal Judge Rules Tennessee’s Anti-Drag Show Law Is Unconstitutional
A federal judge has ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or in places where children could view them is unconstitutional because it violates freedom of speech protections.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said in a 70-page late-Friday ruling that the law, which GOP Gov.
Bill Lee signed in March, is both “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad.” The law says an “adult cabaret performance” is unlawful if it happens on public property or in a location where the performance “could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.” It defines such a performance as one that is harmful to minors and includes topless dancers, “exotic” dancers, strippers and male or female impersonators.
Parker had imposed a preliminary injunction at the end of March to block the law from taking effect. The judge agreed with Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based theater group that produces drag performances, comedy sketches and plays, that the state’s Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) could apply “just about anywhere.” The theater group contended that the law would infringe on their freedom of speech and expose their members to potential felony charges over the shows that it has held for years.
