Federal judge recommends dismissal of drag queen story time lawsuit

U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna has recommended a dismissal of a federal lawsuit over the Lafayette Public Library’s proposed drag queen story time.

The plaintiffs, Warriors for Christ and Special Forces of Liberty, have 14 days to submit a response to Hanna’s recommendation.

In his written recommendation, Hanna said the groups and their members do not have legal standing to pursue such a lawsuit. The groups allege the proposed event violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

“There is no allegation, much less any evidence to show, that any of these three plaintiffs are property owners who pay property taxes in Lafayette Parish,” Hanna wrote. “Moreover, there is no indication that these plaintiffs possess ‘the requisite financial interest that is, or is threatened to be, injured’ by the Library hosting (drag queen story hour) … These plaintiffs have failed to establish standing based on any alleged taxpayer status.”

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Hanna also wrote that “it is clear” that any alleged injury brought about by drag queen story time “has been manufactured for the purpose of litigation rather than occurred in the course of any of these plaintiffs’ regular activities.”

The recommendation is not a final judgment on the case, which remains pending in federal court.

The library announced plans for its first drag queen story time last August, with the event scheduled for early October 2018. Members of the Delta Lambda Phi fraternity would dress in drag and read stories to children ages 3 to 6, as well as their families. The event was moved to South Louisiana Community College, which later canceled it amid logistical and security concerns. The event was then postponed indefinitely.