Key takeaways:
- The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Florida’s bid to enforce a state law that would have prohibited children from attending drag shows.
- The law was challenged by a restaurant in Orlando known as Hamburger Mary’s, arguing that it was unconstitutional and imposed unlawful restrictions on free speech.
- The Supreme Court’s order does not resolve the case, which is still ongoing.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Florida’s bid to enforce a state law that would have prohibited children from attending drag shows. The court’s 6-3 decision keeps in place a lower court ruling as a legal challenge continues.
The law, signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, was challenged by a restaurant in Orlando known as Hamburger Mary’s. The restaurant argued that the law was unconstitutional and imposed unlawful restrictions on free speech. The Supreme Court’s order rejected a request from Florida officials to narrow the reach of an injunction issued by a federal district judge in June to apply only to the restaurant.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, said in a separate statement that the court’s denial of Florida’s request does not speak to their views on the merits of the case. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted Florida’s bid to allow the law to take effect against other establishments in the state.
DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination and has frequently leaned into culture war issues, also signed into law a bill this year that restricts transgender health care. The legal challenge to the drag show law is ongoing, and the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday does not resolve the case.
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