CLEVELAND (AP) -- A federal judge has denied a request to block an Ohio law approved last year that restricts dancers' performances at strip clubs and hours of operation at adult book or video stores.
U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. in a 36-page order issued late Friday in Cleveland found that the law does not violate the constitutional rights of sexually oriented businesses in Ohio. He also ruled that the law doesn't significantly harm them.
The law, which into effect in October, prohibits touching between customers and nude or semi-nude dancers. It also requires that most adult businesses close at midnight.
Although Oliver denied the businesses' motion for a preliminary order to block enforcement, their case remains open and the judge scheduled a case status conference for Aug. 21.
