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By Kelli Weston | The Nerve
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal judge recently ruled in favor of a Utah woman, who sued when faced with that state’s requirements to operate a hair-braiding business.
Jestina Clayton braids hair to supplement her family’s income, and Utah law requires her to obtain a cosmetology license for public health and safety reasons.
The judge said the state’s requirement that Clayton be licensed in cosmetology was irrelevant to her profession, and deemed it “unconstitutional and invalid” to deny her the right to earn a livelihood based on the state’s arguments.
South Carolina is one of many states that allow hair braiders to apply for a specialty license with a $25 registration fee, a six-hour hair-braiding course and a test with 25 multiple-choice questions administered by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
But it was not always as easy to obtain a hair-braiding license in South Carolina.
Read the complete story at The Nerve.
