A divided federal appeals court cleared the way for Florida to enforce a Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed law restricting children from certain sexually explicit live performances, including drag performances the state argues are obscene for minors.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled Tuesday 8-5 that Orlando restaurant Hamburger Mary’s had not shown it was likely to succeed in its First and Fourteenth Amendment challenge to Florida’s Protection of Children Act.

The court vacated the preliminary injunction in full and sent the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida for further proceedings. The ruling clears the way for enforcement, though Hamburger Mary’s could still seek additional review.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated the decision in a post on X.

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«Huge victory for our team at the 11th Circuit! After 3 years of litigation, the full court affirmed the constitutionality of Florida’s ban on children attending sexualized drag shows,» Uthmeier wrote.

The law makes it a misdemeanor to «knowingly admit a child to an adult live performance,» according to the court’s opinion.

The law defines an «adult live performance» as a live show that «depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or specific sexual activities … lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts» and that also predominantly appeals to a «prurient, shameful, or morbid interest,» is «patently offensive» for the age of the child present and, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for that child’s age.

Writing for the court, Judge Andrew Brasher called the law «a straightforward regulation of obscenity.»

«Preventing children from attending adult live performances obscene for them is rationally related to Florida’s interest in safeguarding the well-being of minors,» Brasher wrote.

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A drag performer in Miami. (Getty Images, File)

The majority rejected Hamburger Mary’s arguments that the terms «lewd» and «the age of the child present» made the law unconstitutionally vague or overly broad.

Brasher wrote that Florida Supreme Court precedent limits the meaning of «lewd» to sexual conduct. He also wrote that all three parts of the law’s obscenity test must be met before a performance is prohibited.

The majority also ruled that using an age-variable standard did not make the law unconstitutional on its face.

Eight judges agreed that Hamburger Mary’s was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its constitutional claims. Six judges joined Brasher’s opinion in full, while Judges Kevin Newsom and Britt Grant joined all but the section addressing universal injunctions.

Grant wrote separately that the court did not need to rule on the scope of the injunction after deciding that Hamburger Mary’s was unlikely to succeed on the merits.

Five judges dissented.

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A drag queen performs onstage in Miami. (Getty Images, File)

Judge Robin Rosenbaum argued that the law forces venues to guess which performances are suitable for children of different ages while exposing operators to criminal penalties, fines and the possible loss of a business license.

«Today our Court embraces mess-around-and-find-out (‘MAFO’) First Amendment jurisprudence,» Rosenbaum wrote.

She argued that the law could chill protected speech by forcing businesses to risk prosecution before learning how officials would apply it.

Rosenbaum also argued that the statute effectively imposes strict liability over a child’s age and could expose violators to jail, fines and the loss of a business license.

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People take in a drag performance in Orlando, Fla. (Getty Images, File)

She wrote that the law «wields a Titanic-sized iceberg of chilling power against protected speech.»

Judge Nancy Abudu filed a separate dissent focused on the law’s legislative history.

Abudu argued that comments from the law’s supporters, along with warnings from legislative staff, supported Hamburger Mary’s claim that the measure would chill protected drag performances.

The majority rejected that argument, writing that courts generally do not strike down an otherwise constitutional law based on an alleged improper legislative motive.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with reporters at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)

The majority also wrote that nothing in the law targets performances simply because they feature drag.

Hamburger Mary’s filed the lawsuit in 2023 after Florida enacted the measure.

The restaurant said it had previously hosted Sunday drag performances advertised as family-friendly but canceled those shows and barred minors from its other performances because it feared enforcement.

A federal district judge initially issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law. A divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit affirmed that decision before the full court agreed to rehear the case.

DeSantis’ and Uthmeier’s offices, as well as the ACLU of Florida, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

El expresidente colombiano Iván Duque calificó este martes a Daniel Ortega de “delincuente” y “criminal” durante la presentación de un informe de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), que vincula el desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe con el fortalecimiento de la democracia y las instituciones.

El documento, titulado Rupturas y oportunidades: propuestas para que América Latina y el Caribe prospere en la nueva era geopolítica, advierte que la región enfrenta un escenario marcado por la competencia geopolítica, la erosión democrática y el debilitamiento del multilateralismo.

Según Centroamérica 360, el informe plantea que el fortalecimiento institucional es una condición indispensable para el desarrollo regional.

Duque intervino en la presentación del estudio como copresidente de la comisión convocada por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, junto con la expresidenta chilena Michelle Bachelet. Al referirse a Nicaragua, dijo que el país encarna el caso contrario al modelo que propone el informe.

“Nicaragua es todo menos eso; no es una democracia, es una dictadura opresora, con una centralización de todos los poderes y, por lo tanto, una pérdida absoluta de confianza y de interés de inversionistas que vean oportunidades de negocio en ese país”, expresó Duque.

El exmandatario colombiano endureció su posición al mencionar de forma directa al político nicaragüense. “Creo que Daniel Ortega es un delincuente, es un criminal y yo espero que Daniel Ortega encuentre su futuro en la justicia, que es lo que le corresponde”, afirmó Duque.

La publicación también consignó que Duque reclamó una respuesta de la justicia internacional por las violaciones a los derechos humanos que atribuyó al régimen nicaragüense. Denunció encarcelamientos, torturas y expulsiones de opositores por defender libremente sus ideas.

“Lo que ha hecho con las personas que han sido llevadas a la cárcel, torturadas y expulsadas por defender libremente sus ideas demuestra que no tiene cabida bajo ningún prisma de legalidad”, añadió el exmandatario colombiano.

Ese señalamiento se inscribió en una idea central del informe de la CEPAL: la región solo podrá aprovechar sus recursos estratégicos y fortalecer su posición internacional si cuenta con instituciones sólidas, gobernanza efectiva y Estados capaces de generar confianza. La tesis del documento vincula desarrollo, estabilidad democrática y capacidad de atraer inversión.

Duque sostuvo además que Nicaragua tiene un amplio potencial económico y social, pero afirmó que ese desarrollo dependerá de la recuperación del orden democrático. Su planteamiento conectó la situación interna del país con una de las conclusiones de fondo del estudio presentado por la comisión regional.

“Espero que Nicaragua recupere el orden democrático y recupere el potencial que tiene en muchísimos sectores, y que ese potencial se base en la solidez de sus instituciones, en la confianza, en la seguridad y en valores compartidos, entre ellos el valor de la defensa irrestricta de la libertad”, indicó el colombiano.

La comisión que elaboró el informe fue convocada para examinar los desafíos geopolíticos de América Latina y el Caribe en la actual etapa internacional. Entre sus conclusiones, sostiene que la prosperidad regional exige instituciones democráticas fuertes, gobernanza eficaz y marcos estatales que ofrezcan confianza pública y previsibilidad.

The polls are now closed in Kansas, Missouri, and most of Michigan, three of the five states from coast-to-coast holding primary elections on Tuesday.

The biggest spotlight is on Michigan, where the high-stakes fight between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party is front-and-center.

Boosted by a string of victories this spring in mostly blue congressional districts across the country, the Democrats’ ideological war moves to the Great Lakes battleground state, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in the midterm elections.

Also at stake as Michigan, Kansas, Missouri join Virginia and Washington State in holding mid-summer primaries is President Donald Trump’s immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

But taking top billing is Michigan’s divisive and expensive Democratic Senate primary, which is seen as the biggest stage to date in the fierce fight for the future of the Democratic Party.

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«This is ground zero in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party, pitting status quo corporate Democrats against shake up the system economic fighters, and we’ll see who wins,» Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, told Fox News Digital.

The primary face-off pits Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director, against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is a must-hold for the Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races from coast to coast that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.

Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, told Fox News Digital the Michigan showdown is «the first time the left is competing for a swing seat» and warned, «the significance is it could really put this seat in jeopardy.»

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018. He has made support for «Medicare-for-all» a major component of his campaign.

The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as «genocide» against Palestinians.

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And El-Sayed, who is backed by top far-left leaders and teamed with progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on the Michigan campaign trail two weeks ago, and who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

Stevens, who flipped a GOP-held district in her 2018 election to Congress, is backed by top national and Michigan Democrats, including Peters, term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments.

«I am the best Democrat to go forward. I am the only person in this race who has won tough primaries multiple times. You know, running with the Michigan grit, resilience and determination,» Stevens told Fox News Digital on Sunday, as she teamed up with Peters on the campaign trail.

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Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, right, and retiring Sen. Gary Peters, at a campaign rally on Aug. 2, 2026, in Madison Heights, Michigan. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Over $80 million has been spent on the primary showdown, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination race in history. Much of the money has been shelled out by outside groups in support of Stevens and against El-Sayed. The biggest spending comes from United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

El-Sayed, who has repeatedly attacked Stevens over the massive infusion of AIPAC-linked money, told reporters on Sunday, «If you need $70 million to come in here and help get you elected, then the question has to be, are you actually electable on your own terms.»

The winner will face off in the midterms against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glidepath to win the GOP Senate nomination.

The Trump-backed Rogers, who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin, said in a Fox News Digital interview that he doesn’t care whom he faces off with in November.

«It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve looked at both candidates. We feel confident we’re going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race,» Rogers highlighted.

And Rogers claimed, «They are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan. I mean, Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy.»

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But Democrats are confident they can regroup after a combustible primary.

«Let’s make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate,» Stevens told reporters on Sunday. «After the primary, you’re going to see a united Democratic Party. You are going to see us going full force, full fledged ahead.»

And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, «I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump. We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers.»

The left-wing versus establishment battle is also playing out in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a key Republican-controlled swing seat race that’s among roughly two-dozen that will impact whether the GOP holds onto its fragile House majority.

William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for political action to tackle climate change, is on the rise against two more moderate Democrats. Lawrence is backed by Sanders and El-Sayed, as well as some top progressive groups. The primary winner will face GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.

The party civil war is also on display in Michigan’s deep blue 13th Congressional District.

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Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney rallied over the weekend in his bid to unseat Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., on Aug. 2, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

Rep. Shri Thanedar, who is supported by top House Democratic leaders, is being challenged by state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who is backed by Sanders, El-Sayed, and «Squad» members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

And the ideological warfare is also front-and-center in Missouri, in the state’s St. Louis-based and heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District.

Rep. Wesley Bell is facing off in a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush, a Squad member who Bell ousted in the 2024 primary.

Former Rep. Cori Bush is mounting a comeback bid to retake her seat in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Trump’s endorsements are getting tested in two statewide showdowns on Tuesday, in Michigan and Kansas.

The president is backing Rep. John James in Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial primary. James, a West Point graduate and one-time Republican rising star, is facing off against multi-millionaire businessman Perry Johnson, a former gubernatorial and presidential candidate.

The winner will take on likely Democratic nominee and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, in the race to succeed Whitmer.

In Kansas, Trump is supporting state Senate President Ty Masterson in a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial contenders.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited, which makes the race to succeed her a top flip opportunity for the GOP.

In Washington State, the marquee primary showdown is in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a former auto shop co-owner, is facing a crowded field of challengers from both parties.

Washington state has a top-two primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party, compete on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters move on to the general election.

The race is another crucial House showdown that may decide the chamber’s majority.

In Virginia, voters head to the polls to cast ballots in Senate primaries and in a handful of House primaries in extremely competitive districts that may impact the balance of power on Capitol Hill.