EAST LAURINBURG — An effort to ban sagging pants from the Scotland County town of East Laurinburg could be pulled up short by legal concerns.

The Fayetteville Observer reported Thursday the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says the proposed ordinance could violate protections for free expression.

Legal director Katy Parker says similar bans on saggy pants have been challenged or struck down in Georgia and Florida.

Mayor Harry Pittman proposed the ban and says he’s doing it in the name of basic decency. The ordinance would charge people with a misdemeanor if the top of their pants or skirt hangs three inches or more below the waistline.

The town board of commissioners is scheduled to vote on the proposal Nov. 9.