Missouri Strip Club Law Unconstitutional
On 12/19/2006 the Missouri Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision striking down a state law that barred nude dancing and touching between dancers and customers.
The law banned full nudity, imposed a requirment that dancers stay at least 10 feet from customers and remain behind a rail, barred dancers from touching customers, and required both patrons and dancers to be at least 21 years of age.
The law never took effect because the lower court struck it down days before it was to go into effect back in August 2005.
The Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional because it had a “change of purpose” as it made its way through the legislature. The strip club restrictions were tacked on to a bill that dealt with intoxicated driving offenses. The court ruling did not weigh whether or not the law infringed on constitutional rights. It is likely that the sponsor of the law, Republican state Senator Matt Bartle, will try again to harm the strip club industry and waste even more taxpayer dollars attempting to elminate something the courts have ruled is a constitutional right for decades now.