State Brings Stripper's Death Into Suit Over Age Limit Law

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Lawyers for the state want a federal court to review a Louisiana police report on the 2015 death of a 19-year-old stripper. But a judge has rejected their arguments.

Thursday's ruling is the latest development in a lawsuit filed by three dancers who are fighting a new state law making 21 the minimum age for strippers in Louisiana.

State lawyers say the police report on the death of Bourbon Street dancer Jasilas Wright could bolster their argument for the law. They noted allegations that Wright was a prostitute who may have been killed by a pimp.

Protecting young women from human trafficking is a stated aim of the law.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby declined to make state police turn over a report on the still-open investigation of Wright's death.