A federal judge has struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing so-called “harmful” materials to minors
Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional | The Independent
Sign up to our newslettersSubscribe nowLog in / Register
Independent Christmas Amex
SportSportFootballParis 2024 OlympicsFormula 1Rugby UnionCricketTennisBoxingUFCCyclingGolfSport Videos
TravelTravelHotel ReviewsNews & AdviceSimon CalderCruisesUKEuropeUSAAsiaAustralia & New ZealandSouth AmericaC.
PremiumPolitics ExplainedEditorialsVoicesLong ReadsNews AnalysisToday’s Edition
Thank you for registering
Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional
A federal judge has struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing so-called “harmful” materials to minors
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Book Bans Librarians (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press.
A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansaslaw that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors.
District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional.
“I respect the court’s ruling and will appeal,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children.
“The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for young children and segregate or discard the rest,” Brooks wrote in his ruling.
A coalition that included the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock had challenged the law, saying fear of prosecution under the measure could prompt libraries and booksellers to no longer carry titles that could be challenged.
The lawsuit comes as lawmakers in some conservative states are pushing for measures making it easier to ban or restrict access to books.
Lawsrestricting access to certain materials or making it easier to challenge them have been enacted in several other states, including Iowa, Indiana and Texas.
Thank you for registering
