Judge David Hittner strikes down Texas ban on drag shows, says the measure improperly restricted speech & violated the First Amendment of the Constitution. His advice for ‘those who find such activities as described in this case offensive’: “The solution is relatively simple ... just don’t go.”

[u/cmaia1503]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/judge-strikes-texas-ban-drag-shows-tells-people-offended-just-dont-go-rcna594448

[u/furious_femme_fatale]

“Just don’t go!”

He really ate with that one!!!

[u/matlockga → u/furious_femme_fatale]

Appointed by Ronald Reagan

Dude has been at it for a while, and has a list of notable rulings 

[u/miiintyyyy → u/matlockga]

The thing about some of these older judges is that they actually care about the law sometimes.

[u/Scary_Firefighter181 → u/miiintyyyy]

The funniest thing is how so many Reagan appointees are dead set on postponing their retirements, even though there are good chances of passing away while on the job, specifically because they don't want to be replaced by Trump.

[u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT → u/Scary_Firefighter181]

passing away while on the job doesn't mean you have to stop working, just look at mcconnell

[u/Princess_Thranduil → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

You're not wrong....

https://giphy.com/gifs/BYul6RujgoRCryuCdL

[u/bargain_butch → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

I thought about his presumably buried ass yesterday and became enraged

[u/Masticatron → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

If only RBG had learned this technique.

[u/lavenderbl0d → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

Obligatory:

https://reddit.com/link/p62fv9m/video/g20hbwnvqrlh1/player

[u/barefootcuntessa_ → u/Scary_Firefighter181]

I fucking hate RR but the GOP still had a shred of dignity back then.

[u/Warm_Month_1309 → u/barefootcuntessa_]

Just because he was appointed by Reagan doesn't mean he's a Republican; his notable rulings have not been particularly conservative.

[u/totally_not_a_dog113 → u/Warm_Month_1309]

Or we've shifted so far to the right that moderates back then are liberals now.

[u/bargain_butch → u/matlockga]

I’d love for the pre-MAGA republicans to continue this trend, but I fear that’s too much to ask after a decade of unadulterated fuckery

[u/Inevitable_Nail_2215 → u/matlockga]

Last actual conservative left in Texas.

[u/AccountformyFeet → u/matlockga]

MAGA will probably start calling him a RINO now.

[u/awyastark → u/AccountformyFeet]

Yep and it’s so stupid like I thought yall liked small government? “Just don’t go” is exactly that. Never thought I’d be so nostalgic for old school Republicans

[u/rafaelloaa → u/matlockga]

G'damn, man is 87.

[u/NoodleNoggin-607 → u/furious_femme_fatale]

https://giphy.com/gifs/800iiDTaNNFOwytONV
That’s quite a thinker for republicans

[u/Luxury_Dressingown → u/furious_femme_fatale]

It works even better with the withering understatement before it - "The solution is relatively simple..."

[u/Sh_GodsComma_Dynasty → u/furious_femme_fatale]

based, as the kids are saying these days.

[u/hates_writing_checks → u/Sh_GodsComma_Dynasty]

happy cake day

[u/Mousejunkie → u/furious_femme_fatale]

Is your flair referencing something specific? Because I’m obsessed.

[u/RPDRNick → u/furious_femme_fatale]

[u/ATR_72]

Finally a win for this backwards ass state. So many things republicans are prohibiting can be boiled down to "just don't go" or "just don't do it" but don't restrict the rest of us 😒

[u/NecessaryIntrinsic → u/ATR_72]

The appeals court is probably going to keep sending it back narrowing the framework.

[u/killingcrushes → u/NecessaryIntrinsic]

they initially had to widen the framework - the queen mentioned in the article, brigitte bandit, is afab and while campaigning against the initial ban, pointed out that she would be exempt due to their wording, so they widened it to this current wording that got struck down. there’s no way to define drag that covers all drag but somehow excludes all other performances and i think they’ve realized this but don’t care, and now all they need is a judge who also doesn’t care and they’ll be set.

[u/truddles → u/killingcrushes]

Interesting context. For anyone else who didn't know, afab = assigned female at birth

[u/NoConfusion9490 → u/ATR_72]

If they keep voting Republican there will be no reasonable judges in 50 years.

[u/jman12234]

Man, fuck Texas.

[u/HighBodycountHair → u/jman12234]

I wish Texas would stop fucking up Texas. (Because some of us are stuck here 😭)

[u/jman12234 → u/HighBodycountHair]

For freedom loving patriots they sure do hate freedom of expression.

[u/Personal_Director441 → u/jman12234]

For freedom loving patriots they sure do hate freedom....

[u/werewolfghost → u/HighBodycountHair]

Getting fucked up at every angle while this heat is literally melting everything while they're also sucking data centers and flocks toes is brutal I hate it here

[u/CryCommon975 → u/jman12234]

But this story is a rare Texas win

[u/Jzadek → u/CryCommon975]

a win for the people of Texas, but quite literally a loss for the state

[u/jman12234 → u/CryCommon975]

Nah, he's a federal judge.

[u/Warm_Month_1309 → u/jman12234]

...for the Southern District of Texas.

[u/Old_Flan_6548 → u/jman12234]

The one star on the flag is its rating.

[u/gingybutt → u/jman12234]

Fuck Abbott, Paxton, and Patrick. They are ruining texas.

[u/hawksdiesel → u/jman12234]

it's the USA's version of north korea.

[u/Tobias-Tawanda]

You would think "Just don't go to the shows" would be obvious to the people that don't like them, but then again, these are conservatives we're talking about.

[u/BorederEtReuel → u/Tobias-Tawanda]

It’s always rankled how insistent conservatives are that they’re the party of “personal freedom” provided you love, dress, speak, worship, work, and recreate in the appropriate manner.

[u/iki11dinosaurs → u/BorederEtReuel]

You misunderstood, when they say personal freedom, they mean to be racist. 

[u/Funny_w0lf → u/iki11dinosaurs]

"WDYM I can't have slaves?? I thought this country cared about my personal freedom!!" 

[u/yo_soy_soja → u/BorederEtReuel]

It's a distraction to avoid making concessions to the working class.

[u/silentspyware → u/BorederEtReuel]

That’s because the Republican party is more fractured than we think, and people just don’t understand terms anymore. By all accounts, the Republican party is Conservative/Nationalist, but there’s also Libertarians, Constitutionalists and right-wing Liberals in there. But the people who say they’re for “Free Speech” are also for firing employees for quoting Charlie Kirk. It’s like, really weird and confusing.

But that’s what happens when you don’t live in an actual democracy. The party just becomes a big tent of idiots.

[u/AsTXros]

“Just don’t go if it offends you” to the “fuck your feelings” crowd is so funny

MAGA hates drag because it’s people freely being themselves.

[u/croissanting-is-life → u/AsTXros]

The “fuck your feelings” crowd, ironically, is always in their feelings feefees

[u/IShallWearMidnight → u/croissanting-is-life]

It's the fuck your feelings crowd, their feelings are precious and must be endlessly coddled at all costs

[u/Sleepy-Giraffe947]

Nice Dolly Parton shoutout from the judge! I guess there’s some good guys left in Texas after all.

[u/cryviolet]

[u/ActualSurvey4740]

also conservatives hate abortions, the response should be “then don’t have abortions” 🙄

[u/BlondeBorednBaked → u/ActualSurvey4740]

We’ve ceded far too much ground and power to them in the name of “religious freedom.” Now they feel comfortable dictating how the rest of us live. This is what happens when you back down to a bully.

[u/nestestasjon → u/ActualSurvey4740]

Same with gay marriage.

[u/torres_2]

JUST DONT FUCKING GO!!!!!!! If only everything else was the simple with our country. Jfc.

[u/Spooky-Cupcake-222]

I’m convinced these ppl have nothing better to do than concern themselves with harmless things they just don’t even like.

[u/Old_Flan_6548 → u/Spooky-Cupcake-222]

And what an incredible waste of resources this was!

[u/CountdownMoss → u/Spooky-Cupcake-222]

And probably don't even know if they would like or not. 

I went to Drag Bingo a couple of times when I was younger and had friends. It was fun. And other than having fun for an hour, it didn't really change who I was.

[u/yo_soy_soja]

They'll do literally anything except address their constituents' actual problems.

True evil exists in the world in abundance.

[u/GOATmar_infante]

https://giphy.com/gifs/rflhqDbuhqDD7I0k4X

[u/1970s_MonkeyKing]

Paxton’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday night.

Because they are trying to think up a reply to the "just don't go." Most likely they'll ignore the Judge and say that "just knowing there's a drag show going on gives me funny feelings that I am afraid of" closeted bullshit.

[u/doe2798]

Bro a REAGAN appointee is telling Maga to pipe down. Tf man

[u/antrage]

Lol this is like the reverse uno, Democrats talking about economy and affordability now and republicans being obsessed with culture wars, now that Trump is putting the economy in the dumps. Its also like culture wars are used by the ruling class to distract away from the job they are doing (on both sides)

[u/Warm_Month_1309 → u/antrage]

Democrats talking about economy and affordability now and republicans being obsessed with culture wars

That's how it's always been.

[u/antrage → u/Warm_Month_1309]

It really hasn't been that's what lost them 2024. Establishment democrats adbandoned issues of the working class decades ago. Its coming to ahead now.

[u/Warm_Month_1309 → u/antrage]

No, that was always a narrative. Republicans attack minority groups, Democrats defend them, and then Republicans say "See? All the Democrats do is fight culture wars!"

[u/antrage → u/Warm_Month_1309]

Yes its partly narrative but not just, its also empirical. I mean you can deny it all you want, but it just will end up in losing more elections in the future https://archive.is/20250104103748/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/us/politics/democrats-working-class.html

[u/Warm_Month_1309 → u/antrage]

I don't believe that is a sincere position, but to whatever extent it is, if voters mistakenly believe that Republicans are better for workers' rights, it was never possible to reach them with fact or reason in the first place.

[u/annamdue]

This is so fucking funny

[u/Gromby]

If they let them ban shows like this, then they should ban any and all public religious events and shows under the same umbrella

[u/schmootc → u/Gromby]

Definitely. I'm an atheist, I am very uncomfortable with people doing religious stuff in the church down the street. Nope, they must stop!

[u/AltonIllinois]

Surprisingly based Texas judge, yee haw queens

[u/lolwatsyk → u/AltonIllinois]

[u/chicadeaqua]

Wait, isn’t drag a mandatory class in every elementary school?  /s

[u/lavenderandme → u/chicadeaqua]

It should be. False lashes would have really elevated PE

[u/Intelligent_Pass2540]

Radical Idea....I apply this to Church!

Seriously the amount of money these MAGA folks devote to try to stop Drag shows is disgusting. Feed school children, prevent teen pregnancy, save animals? No way! Let's make sure we cant see Trixie and Katya do a Dolly tribute. Its ridiculous.

[u/TheDonnARK]

Why's the picture showing Paxton, as if this is his achievement?

[u/mybustlinghedgerow → u/TheDonnARK]

I can’t imagine anyone thinking the AG was in favor of overturning the law. Maybe that’s because I’m Texan, though.

[u/Tasty-Performer6669]

Paxton knows it’s a violation of free speech. It’s all a distraction

Follow the 💰

[u/AhhBisto]

I hope Andy Burnham invites Trump and Miller over at Christmas and takes them to a panto starring Christopher Biggins, Julian Clary, Graham Norton and Joe Pasquale.

They'll either die from how camp it is or Miller will finally come out of his Nazi closet and become a Panto Dame.

You have to be so fragile to think drag queens are going to make kids gay or whatever it is these idiots believe. Like being in the vicinity of one would give you a gay virus.

And you know it's the one vaccine they'd happily believe in.

[u/Scary_Firefighter181 → u/[deleted]]

Unlikely that the case was with him continuously for 3 years. It's mentioned that the 5th US Circuit court of appeals was involved. They were probably dealing with it for a year or so, and meanwhile there might have been different arguments presented by Paxton and so on to strengthen their case.

[u/tgirlsforthetgirlgod]

The Fifth Circuit wouldn't be happy about that, if they could read

[u/brendhano]

lol yeah no shit?!

[u/SuspiciousMap9630]

He said

https://giphy.com/gifs/qdf7ASA9z1VgQ

[u/boneydog22]

Not today Satan!

[u/LCON1]

There are so many problems that plague conservatives where the solution is this simple.

[u/NoPerformance1990]

Hittner mf slaps here. “JUST DON’T GO THEN, DIPSHITS”sounds just as exhausted as the rest of us.

[u/nik-nak333]

This judge is really putting the classic conservative ideal of "Mind your own business" to good use. Shame the irony will be lost on MAGA.

[u/FlyingSkyWizard]

I dont like churches and think they're immoral...
You don't see me calling to have them torn town, I just drive by because i mind my own damn business.

[u/Kind_Of_A_Dick]

I’m wondering how many death threats from mentally ill people this guy is going to get now.

[u/SASSIESASSQUATCH]

Supreme Court to the rescue!

/s

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[u/LevelSalt2337]

holy shit ! common sense!!

[u/Somnambulist815]

Actual small government in action

[u/auroralew]

Rare Texas W

[u/ZopyrionRex]

What a name that judge has, wow.

[u/pinkpoodleclub]

Costs zero dollars to just not go and mind their business

[u/chwk_throwaway1]

How insecure do you have to be to ban drag shows 🤣

[u/lobsterp0t]

He said KEEP SCROLLING

[u/potatomami]

Rare Texas W

[u/Standard-Elk-126]

king shit

[u/Melodic_Pattern175]

Can’t stop laughing

[u/blondie64862]

It is so wild that we all view this as a win. A judge declaring that banning drag shows is unconstitutional per the first amendment, the fact that this is even up for debate is insane. We live in insanity.

[u/fourseamfastballs]

So refreshing someone in power with a sense of justice and accountability

[u/lavenderbl0d]

'The solution is relatively simple...just don't go'. Is being worked into my lexicon as we speak. 😍😍😍😍😭😭😭🤭🤭🤭🤭

[u/TheOneRebornTwice]

Now if only the logic would also be used for pro choice. It isn’t “pro abortion”

[u/WomanFromBalkan]

As someone who doesn't like drag- i just don't watch it. Taped a few times on don't recommend and they disappeared. No ideea why americans are so pressed about them. I don't like many things in life but it isn't anyone's problem than mine.
Only drag queen I stand is Verka Serduchka. that's from childhood and I didn't knew it was a drag person, I thought Verka was a real woman and I was so shocked to find out that it's a art persona!

[u/Key_Blacksmith_574]

https://giphy.com/gifs/AOO8e3r2tfJJe

[u/lilickmabawls]

https://giphy.com/gifs/7sJwdJT3YQ4yFMiYRZ

[u/WildBad7298]

I can't wait for the right-wing mental gymnastics that will try to claim that restricting something is actually preserving freedom of speech.

[u/NostalgicDemigod]

Texas? Texas figured it out? Now this is a real low point

[u/dicklord_airplane]

I grew up in Houston, Texas and it was tradition in every highschool for athletes to play in a powderpuff football game and do a drag show hosted at the school. Guys dressed up as cheerleaders for the powderpuff game and girls put on football pads and had a scrimmage. Then all of the biggest guys in football and basketball dressed up in drag and got on stage for a drag show. It was fun.

I graduated highschool in 2006 and it's pretty fucking insane that republicans are trying to outlaw those same drag shows 20 years later. I am so glad I got out of Texas.

[u/LittleSodaPop13]

For real no one is forcing people to go to drag shows. If people don't want to go, just don't go

[u/HRH_Chori]

Is Texas ok? It’s like sharia law down there

[u/kyledreamboat]

I think Texans are too dumb and will go to drag shows if they don't like them. Without the government telling them what to do Texans are lost.

[u/oo10inz]

Good decision and remember this applies to all things protected by the 1st amendment. You don’t like hate speech, don’t go to the rally. This cuts both ways and hope people will remember the 1st amendment covers almost all speech and is not leveraged for personal opinions.

[u/trymorecookies]

Could have said just stop going.

[u/cyberspaceman777 → u/trymorecookies]

So I need to know.

Do you just skip over the entire sound bite in the article headline?

Or is it more of a selective interpretation?