A federal judge in Tennessee on Friday temporarily blocked a controversial law that would have imposed strict limits on drag performances in the state.
Earlier this month, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law a statute prohibiting drag shows from being performed in front of minors or on public property in the state — reflecting a recent legislative trend among GOP-led states across the US.
The law was set to take effect on Saturday, before plaintiff Friends of George’s — a Memphis-based non-profit that, per court documents, performs “dragcentric performances, comedy sketches, and plays” — sued for an injunction.
Judge Thomas L. Parker of the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee granted the plaintiff’s request for a temporary restraining order, holding: “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.”
Parker held that the state legislature had failed to uphold its obligations under the US Constitution, and thus placed a 14-day pause on the law’s entry into force, during which the parties are expected to participate in a status conference and schedule future hearings in the case. The pause is subject to extension.
