Austin, TX – February 26, 2026: Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a major victory for Texas by allowing S.B. 12, the Texas Legislature’s ban on sexualized performances in front of minors by Sen. Bryan Hughes and Rep. Matt Shaheen, to go into effect after being under a permanent injunction for two years.
In its ruling, the Fifth Circuit lifted the district court’s sweeping injunction and held that most of the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law. The Court further ruled that the lower court applied the wrong legal standard in striking down the statute, and sent the case back for proper constitutional analysis. The law will now go into effect to protect Texas kids.
Jonathan Covey, Director of Policy for Texas Values, released the following statement:
“Today’s ruling is a victory for common sense and a rebuke to those who tried to weaponize the courts. Protecting kids should never be controversial, and Texas will not apologize for drawing a clear line to shield children from sexualized performances.”
By vacating the injunction, the Court restored the ability of the Texas Attorney General to enforce the law and protect children from exposure to sexually oriented performances in public venues and commercial establishments.
S.B. 12 was passed during the 2023 legislative session as part of Texas’ broader effort to safeguard minors from sexualized content and environments. Texas Values led the effort to pass S.B. 12 during the 2023 Texas Legislative Session and filed a legal amicus brief in the lower court in support of the law.
To learn more about Texas’ law banning sexualized performances in front of kids, visit ProtectKidsTexas.com.
Members of Texas Values law and policy team are available for comment. Contact Ashley at media@txvalues.org or call 737-314-2450 (m) to schedule an interview.
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About Texas Values
Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.