⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Sixth Circuit hears Blount Pride's appeal over officials' response to a drag performance at its 2023 festival. Before the event at Maryville College, District Attorney Ryan Desmond sent organizers and local officials a letter saying he would prosecute violations of Tennessee's Adult Entertainment Act. That law restricts certain adult-oriented performances harmful to minors, not drag performances generally. The plaintiffs say the letter and Police Chief Tony Crisp's contacts with the venue were efforts to suppress their event. The officials say they were explaining and enforcing the law. The festival went ahead under a temporary court order, but the district court later dismissed the lawsuit. The plaintiffs now seek to revive claims over the officials' conduct, not a direct challenge to the Act. They seek two forms of relief: an injunction against future interference, and damages from Desmond for alleged retaliation. Standing concerns whether a plaintiff has an injury the court can remedy; past harm alone does not necessarily justify an order about future conduct. Qualified immunity can protect an official from damages unless the conduct violated clearly established law. Here, the court must distinguish the risk of future interference from the separate question of whether the letter unlawfully deterred protected speech.

Blount Pride, Inc., et al. v. Desmond, et al. (No. 25-6072) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, argued October 22, 2026.