Federal judge strikes down Texas law restricting drag performances

The law had been challenged in court before, but an appeals court set aside the judge's earlier decision, allowing the restrictions to kick in this past March while the lawsuit kept moving forward. That meant performers across the state operated under the law for months before this latest ruling landed.

Brigitte Bandit, an Austin-based drag performer and plaintiff in the case, called the decision a relief. "Drag has always been a form of free expression, and it is a relief that the court recognized that," Bandit said in a statement. She added that as a lifelong Texan she was "sick of this state trying to censor art and stoke hatred and violence against drag artists and the LGBTQIA+ community."

For performers and venues in Lubbock, the ruling removes at least the current legal threat. The city has its own complicated history with drag events, and shows here had been navigating the same statewide restrictions everyone else was.

The legal battle is not necessarily over. The state could appeal again, sending the case back through the same appellate process that already suspended this judge's ruling once before.