{"id":2649862,"date":"2026-08-26T10:57:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T14:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-judge-strikes-down-drag-show-ban-citing-first-amendment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T11:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:01:30","slug":"texas-judge-strikes-down-drag-show-ban-citing-first-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-judge-strikes-down-drag-show-ban-citing-first-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas judge strikes down drag show ban citing first amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-judge-strikes-down-drag-show-ban-citing-first-amendment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2649862&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal judge in Texas invalidated a 2023 state law that restricted public drag performances, ruling that it violates the first Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague. The law, Senate Bill 12, aimed to ban \u201csexually oriented performances\u201d and imposed penalties on businesses hosting such events and their performers. Judge David Hittner found the law overly broad, subjective, and lacking clear definitions, notably criticizing the vague use of \u201cprurient interest in sex,\u201d wich could target many performances based on subjective judgments. The decision prevents Texas officials from enforcing the law and dismisses the state&#8217;s request for a new trial. Hittner emphasized that the law could criminalize many popular performances and stated that individuals offended by drag shows could simply choose not to attend. This ruling follows an earlier 2023 decision by Hittner declaring the law unconstitutional, though the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later allowed the law to take effect in March 2026. Several other states have attempted similar restrictions on drag performances, but federal courts have generally blocked such laws due to First Amendment concerns.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal judge in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"253\">Texas<\/a> has struck down a 2023 state law restricting public <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/drag-queen\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"9662\">drag<\/a> performances, ruling that the measure violates the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"881\">First Amendment <\/a>and is unconstitutionally vague.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge David Hittner, a nominee of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ronald-reagan\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"813\">Ronald Reagan<\/a>, ruled that Senate Bill 12, which sought to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prohibit \u201csexually oriented performances<\/a>,\u201d is an unconstitutional restriction on speech. The law imposed civil penalties on businesses that hosted prohibited performances and criminal penalties on performers. It also gave counties and municipalities the authority to regulate or ban such performances.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4700794\/meta-agrees-largest-big-tech-accountability-settlement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Meta agrees to pay up to $17.1 billion in \u2018largest\u2019 Big Tech accountability settlement<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4700703\/texas-judge-strike-down-drag-ban\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Texas judge strikes down drag show ban citing First Amendment concerns<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4700185\/splc-heidi-beirich-pleads-not-guilty-donor-fraud\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Former SPLC chief financial officer pleads not guilty in donor fraud case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the law, businesses found in violation could face fines of up to $10,000, while performers could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor carrying a sentence of up to one year in jail.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling prevents Texas Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4370\">Ken Paxton<\/a>, the Republican nominee for Senate, from enforcing the law and rejects his motion for a new trial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his ruling, Hittner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hittner-sb12-drag-ban-second-injunction.pdf\">said<\/a> the law \u201cstill prohibits huge swaths of constitutionally protected performances,\u201d arguing that its language could allow officials to target performances based on subjective interpretations of what is considered sexual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause the term \u2018prurient interest in sex\u2019 is open-ended, S.B. 12 can be used to cherry-pick particular aspects of performances that might be \u2018in some sense erotic,\u2019\u201d Hittner wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge said the law is unconstitutionally vague because it fails to provide reasonable notice about what conduct is prohibited. He called the law\u2019s use of \u201cprurient interest in sex\u201d its \u201cmost glaring issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause this term is undefined in Texas law, lacks a readily ascertainable ordinary meaning, and applies to all performances targeted by the statute, it renders S.B. 12 irredeemably vague,\u201d Hittner wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hittner also warned that the law could allow a single moment deemed erotic to subject an entire performance to criminal or civil penalties.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause S.B. 12 does not specify who determines whether a performance \u2018appeals to the prurient interest,\u2019 or require that the work be taken as a whole, a single moment of eroticism could condemn an entire performance to criminal or civil penalties,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge compared the potential reach of the law to controversies surrounding other performers, noting that people criticized Elvis Presley, chastised Dolly Parton over her appearance, and condemned Miley Cyrus for \u201ctwerking\u201d during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are \u2018erotic\u2019 elements in countless popular performances that could be subject to both civil and criminal penalties under S.B. 12,\u201d Hittner wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hittner also offered a blunt response to people who find drag performances offensive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor those who find such activities as described in this case offensive, the solution is relatively simple \u2026 just don\u2019t go,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge ultimately declared that S.B. 12 violates the First Amendment as applied to Texas through the 14th Amendment and denied Paxton\u2019s request for a new trial, concluding that the record in the case had been adequately developed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2023, Hittner ruled the law was unconstitutional and a First Amendment violation in 2023, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals returned to him last fall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4697747\/greg-abbott-texas-data-center-developers\/\">GREG ABBOTT SAYS DATA CENTER DEVELOPERS \u2018DUG THEIR OWN GRAVE\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hittner first deemed it unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/nbc-out\/out-politics-and-policy\/federal-judge-declares-texas-drag-law-unconstitutional-rcna117486\">in 2023<\/a>, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unblocked the law, allowing it to go into effect in March 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several other states have passed similar legislation attempting to restrict drag performances, but federal courts have repeatedly blocked the laws over similar First Amendment concerns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas drag law struck down as First Amendment violation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2649863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26147666043709-e1783986582322.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36879,33332,3694],"class_list":["post-2649862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-drag-show","tag-first-amendment","tag-texas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26147666043709-e1783986582322.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649862"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649866,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649862\/revisions\/2649866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}