A Douglas County District Court judge has again rejected arguments that the city’s smoking ban is unconstitutional.

Judge Jack Murphy has issued an order denying a request by Lawrence bar operator Dennis Steffes to suspend the city’s smoking ban while he wages a lawsuit alleging that the ban is unconstitutionally vague and illegally oversteps the state’s laws.

Murphy had ruled in late December that the smoking ban was constitutional, but Steffes – who operates Coyotes and Last Call – asked the court to reconsider. Murphy again rejected Steffes arguments and said that there was no evidence to support a suspension of the ban, nor was their evidence that the ban was unconstitutionally vague or had overstepped state law.