U.S. District Judge David Hittner cited Dolly Parton's spirit of self-expression in his decision to strike down Senate Bill 12, a 2023 Texas law that sought to restrict drag shows. The judge ruled that the prohibition was an "unconstitutional restriction on speech," noting that performances could be subject to penalties for a single erotic moment. This decision blocks the Texas attorney general from enforcing the law, which carried civil fines of up to $10,000 and misdemeanor charges including jail time. Hittner initially struck down the law in September 2023, but his Tuesday ruling makes it official, following Dolly Parton's death earlier this week.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A U.S. district court judge has ruled that Texas' law banning drag shows is unconstitutional, blocking the state from enforcing it. U.S. District Judge David Hittner issued the ruling on Tuesday, stating that Senate Bill 12 restricts free speech and is therefore invalid. The law, signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023, aimed to ban "sexually oriented performances" with civil penalties for businesses hosting them and criminal charges for performers. Judge Hittner's decision notes that the law is too vague, allowing a single erotic moment in a performance to trigger penalties, including up to $10,000 in fines for businesses. The judge also quoted Dolly Parton in his ruling, saying that just as people criticized her for being a "voluptuous sex symbol", drag performers could be unfairly targeted under the law. This is not the first time the law has been challenged; a court initially ruled it unconstitutional in 2023, but an appeals court allowed it to take effect while sending the case back to district court for review.
Written for “Texas Drag Show Ban Ruling” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.60, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 2753: no verified evidence · logged 2026-08-27
Judge invokes Dolly Parton in overturning Texas ‘drag ban’
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Judge → invoke → ban
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Click here to listen to this article -
Dolly Parton may be gone, but her spirit of self-expression is still making waves — this time in a Texas federal court.
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spirit → click → court
U.S. District Judge David Hittner on Tuesday cited the late artist in his decision to strike down Senate Bill 12, a 2023 law that sought to restrict drag shows.
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that → cite → shows
His decision, which blocks the Texas attorney general from enforcing the law, noted that the prohibition was “an unconstitutional restriction on speech.”
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prohibition → block → speech
Just as many people “chastised Dolly Parton as a voluptuous sex symbol because of her big hair, flamboyant clothes and breast exposure ... there are erotic elements in countless popular performances that could be subject to both civil and criminal penalties under S.B. 12,” Hittner wrote in his decision.
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Hittner → chastise → decision
And because the law doesn’t specify who determines whether a performance “appeals to the prurient interest” or that the work be considered as a whole, a single sexual or erotic moment in a performance could result in penalties, he wrote.
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he → specify → penalties
Those penalties include civil fines of up to $10,000 for businesses and a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a year in jail for participating individuals.
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that → include → individuals
Dolly Parton loved LGBTQ+ people, and we loved her — in part because she showed us that our country still loves us too.
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country → love → us
Hittner’s decision came down on the same day Parton, the 80-year-old legendary songwriter, actor and businesswoman, died following a brief battle with cancer.
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Parton → come → cancer
Parton was referenced several times in court records associated with the case.
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Parton → reference → case
One of the plaintiffs, Brigitte Bandit, a drag queen and longtime activist, frequently performs as the Grammy-winning artist.
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One → perform → artist
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Bandit wrote that Parton had been a “huge influence” on her life and her drag performances.
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Parton → write → life
She even brought a children’s book about Parton to testify at the Texas Capitol, which eventually got back to the country music star, who then gifted Bandit a signed rhinestone-covered guitar.
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who → bring → guitar
“Dolly has shaped much of my life as a drag artist,” Bandit wrote on Instagram, calling her a “queen who has changed the world with her love, artistry, and GLAM! my diva forever.”
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who → shape → diva
After the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Parton called herself a “patron saint” of the gay community in an interview with Billboard.
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Parton → call → Billboard
“All those drag queens, sometimes I see some of them look more like me than I do,” said the star, who famously lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest.
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who → see → contest
Tuesday’s ruling wasn’t the first time the law, widely touted as a “drag ban,” has been deemed unconstitutional by the courts.
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law → tout → courts
Dolly Parton’s death has left the music, film and television worlds reeling, with stars and luminaries across those industries and more paying tribute to the beloved entertainer’s life and legacy.
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stars → leave → life
Hittner initially struck down the law in September 2023, just a few months after the Texas Legislature passed it.
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Legislature → strike → it
In November 2025, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the lower court’s injunction and returned the case to district court with instructions on how to reconsider it.
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panel → vacate → it
In the end, the high court’s directions did not change Hittner’s determination that the law violates the 1st and 14th amendments.
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law → change → amendments
Hittner wrapped up his decision with a suggestion for those who oppose or are offended by the performances: “[T]he solution is relatively simple ... just don’t go.”
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solution → wrap → performances
