A federal judge has ruled that Utah's requirement that hair braiders secure a cosmetology license is unconstitutional. Ruling in favor of hair braider Jestina Clayton, Judge David Sam said ""Utah has irrationally squeezed ‘two professions into a single, identical mold’ by treating hair braiders — who perform a very distinct set of services — as if they were cosmetologists," continuing that "most of the cosmetology curriculum is irrelevant to hair braiding. Even the relevant parts are at best, minimally relevant." The judge also made clear that the litigant was not seeking the deregulation of cosmetology but rather that hair braiding should not be subject to the cosmetology licensing requirement.
