Arizona Supreme Court to take up Mesa tattoo parlor case
22.05.12
The Arizona Supreme Court will take up a Mesa tattoo parlor case
in which a lower court ruled that cities can no longer use
long-established regulations to block where certain types of
businesses can locate.
The court will hear oral arguments March 27. Mesa asked the court
to hear the case after a three-judge panel of the Arizona Court of
Appeals ruled that tattoo parlors are entitled to the same First
Amendment protections as the artwork they produce. Mesa officials
said the ruling was much broader than a single tattoo shop and
could change land-use restrictions across Arizona.
Mesa turned down a request in 2009 from Angel Tattoo after Dobson
Ranch residents said the tattoo parlor was incompatible with the
area.
Mesa Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh represents the Dobson Ranch area
and said his background as an attorney led him to expect the
Supreme Court would take the case. Kavanaugh said courts across the
nation had ruled in the opposite direction of the appellate court's
decision. That ruling would bring substantial changes if left
unchallenged, he said.
Source: East Valley Tribune