SCOTUS tosses challenge to TN law banning drag shows with kids present, state AG hails decision

The state's Adult Entertainment Act, passed in 2023, does not allow "adult-oriented performances" in public spaces, or anywhere where minors may see them.

"Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children," Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a post on X. "We will continue to defend TN's law and children."

Another lawsuit challenging the ban filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is still underway on behalf of Blount County Pride, another LGBTQ+ advocacy group, after then-Attorney General Ryan Desmond threatened to prosecute anyone violating the ban during the 2023 pride festival. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Friends of George's Inc. and the ACLU but did not receive a response by publication time.

Violators who do not adhere to the Adult Entertainment Act could be prosecuted for a Class A misdemeanor, while a second or third offense is a Class E felony. Both could result in fines and jail time anywhere from 11 months to six years.

In that case, the court is weighing whether the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, which guarantees equal treatment under the law for individuals in similar circumstances, prevents states from banning medical providers from offering puberty blockers and hormone treatments to children seeking transgender surgical procedures. 

"It seems like the momentum has really shifted almost culturally on these issues. And when you see people trying to rewrite laws through creative judging, through creative regulating, that alienates the people from the laws that bind them, and it's bad for America."

"We'll know what the Supreme Court does when the Supreme Court does it," he added.

The high court is expected to rule on that case by June.