SCOTUS Rejects Florida’s Request To Enforce Anti-Drag Law

The Supreme Court has declined Florida’s request to enforce its anti-drag show law (officially titled the Protection of Children Act), while the state appeals a lower court’s ruling against the legislation. The initial legal challenge was brought by Hamburger Mary’s, an Orlando bar and restaurant that hosts family-friendly drag shows. https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1725265437108191362 From NBC News:

A district court judge blocked the law under the First Amendment in part because it was too vaguely written, with key terms such as “lewd conduct” not defined. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals left that ruling in place.

The district court prevented the state from enforcing the law not just against Hamburger Mary’s but also statewide. The state argued that the judge did not have the authority to do so.

In its application to the Supreme Court, the state asked the justices to narrow the injunction so it applied only to the restaurant.

Basically, the state wanted to be able to enforce the anti-drag law against everyone else while it awaits the results of its appeal. The Supreme Court voted 6-3 against the emergency request. Conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch would have allowed the request, of course.