Tattoo Tuesday

South Carolina Daily Gazette, Tattoo parlor sues SC over 22-year-old law requiring distance from churches. "Lawsuit also challenges state ban on tattooing anyone’s face, head or neck."

Whether tattoo artists have a constitutional right to ink near churches and schools is the central question of a federal lawsuit challenging a decades-old state law.

South Carolina became the second-to-last state in the nation to allow tattooing in 2004, following only Oklahoma. The law legalizing the practice set parameters, including that parlors needed to stay at least 1,000 feet away from any nearby churches, schools and playgrounds, and no artist could tattoo on the neck, face or head.

In a lawsuit filed July 17 in federal court, a tattoo shop and two people who want to get inked are arguing those rules violate the First Amendment right of self-expression. The state Department of Public Health and attorney general’s office, named as the defendants, have not yet filed responses.

“Whether artwork appears on canvas, paper, or skin, the Constitution protects both the artist’s right to create it and the customer’s right to receive it,” the lawsuit reads.

Well, duh! What if you want to get a head and neck tattoo after church!