A federal judge reasserted his 2023 ruling that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sent back for reconsideration. The law went into effect in March as the case proceeded.
Texas once again cannot enforce its restrictions on some public drag shows after a federal judge on Tuesday declared a 2023 law unconstitutional for the second time.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner initially declared Senate Bill 12 unconstitutional in September 2023 only a few months after it was passed by the Texas Legislature, citing First Amendment violations. More than two years later in November, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unblocked the law and returned the case to Hittner with specific instructions on how to reassess it.
Hittner reaffirmed his ruling Tuesday, stating in his order that besides removing several plaintiffs and defendants from the lawsuit, the appellate court’s decision “did not disturb” his prior decision declaring SB 12 unconstitutional. The ruling again pauses the law, which had gone into effect in March after the 5th Circuit’s decision.
Source: , The Texas Tribune
Photo Credit: Over 300 activists and supporters marched from the Bexar County Courthouse to Crockett Park in “March for Us,” San Antonio’s third annual celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility, on March 29, 2025, in San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath for The Texas Tribune
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