Tue Apr 4, 2023 – 3:19 pm EDTTue Apr 4, 2023 – 4:08 pm EDT
NASHVILLE (LifeSiteNews) — A U.S. federal district judge imposed a temporary block on a Tennessee law that would prohibit minors from attending sexually explicit performances hours before it was set to take effect.
Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker issued the block Friday following a lawsuit filed by Friends of George’s, an LGBT-affiliated theater in Memphis early last week. Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy were named as defendants in the suit.
According to Parker’s ruling, the law was “likely both vague and overly-broad,” noting that the law does not specify what kind of public space or venue is covered by the law.
“Does a citizen’s private residence count? How about a camping ground at a national park? What if a minor browsing the worldwide web from a public library views an ‘adult cabaret performance’?” Parker wrote. “Ultimately, the Statute’s broad language clashes with the First Amendment’s tight constraints.”
Parker further argued that the state failed to make a compelling argument for the necessity of the law.
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