Judge says new law restricting Mo. strip clubs unconstitutional

? A Cole County judge on Friday declared a state law that places strict new restrictions on strip clubs is unconstitutional.

Circuit Judge Richard Callahan said provisions of the law, which was to go into effect Sunday, violate state constitutional limits on amending a bill beyond its original purpose and First Amendment protections of nude dancing.

“The state may not limit persons of majority age from engaging in lawful expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution without a substantial and direct connection to adverse secondary effects, a showing that has not been made,” Callahan said in the declaratory judgment.

Under the law, signed in July by Gov. Matt Blunt, seminude lap dances would have been banned and dancers would have had to stay at least 10 feet from each other. A customer would have faced a misdemeanor charge for tucking a dollar bill into a dancer’s G-string.

The law also would have required all dancers and customers to be at least 21 years old. Current law sets the minimum age for dancers at 19.

A dancer at Shady Lady Lounge in Kansas City who goes by the name Peaches said the new law would have cut her income in half. The 26-year-old cosmetology student said she would be hard-pressed to find a different job that gave her the flexibility she has as a topless dancer.

“Show me another job that lets me work three days a week, go to school and support my children,” she said.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee’s Summit, said similar laws have been upheld in other states. He did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the judge’s ruling Friday evening.

The adult entertainment industry’s attorneys claimed the law violates free-speech and expression rights under the First Amendment. They also argued that it violates state constitutional requirements that bills relate to one subject and remain tied to their original purpose.