Supreme Court Keeps Florida Drag Law Blocked

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down Florida's plea to let it enforce a law restricting drag shows. The measure had been blocked by a lower court order while a challenge to the new law, which was signed in May by Gov. Ron DeSantis, goes through the legal process, CNN reports. The measure makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly admit a child to an adult live performance that includes sexual or lewd conduct. Opponents say the law unlawfully restricts free speech. The majority did not provide its reasoning for the 6-3 decision, per NBC News.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch did not vote with the majority, saying they'd have let the law go into effect. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote briefly that the state didn't argue the First Amendment issue. The justices' decision "indicates nothing about our view on whether Florida's new law violated the First Amendment," Kavanaugh cautioned, joined in part by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (More Florida stories.)