Nevada brothels free to advertise

LAS VEGAS, July 13 (UPI) -- A federal judge has ruled that Nevada counties that ban prostitution cannot ban advertising for brothels.

U.S. District Judge James Mahan ruled Thursday that state legislation is overly broad and violates constitutional guarantees of free speech, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The suit was filed last year by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a brothel owner and two newspapers.

"Violations of anyone's free speech rights are in a sense violations of everyone's free speech rights," said Gary Peck, the head of the state chapter of the ACLU.

George Flint, a lobbyist for the brothel industry and owner of a Reno wedding chapel, said the industry would be conservative in its ads, proceeding with "taste and caution" and avoiding the kind of flagrant advertising that could backfire.

Nevada, the only state in the country where prostitution is legal, has about 25 brothels. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, is one of the counties that bans brothels.