Federal judge blocks Arkansas law, criminalizing librarians and booksellers
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Arkansas law that would criminalize librarians and booksellers who provide access to material harmful to minors.
The law, signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in March, was to have taken effect Tuesday.
The law required libraries to establish procedures for reviewing materials.
It also gave courts the power to force the removal of materials that might be protected by the First Amendment.
District Judge Timothy Brooks issued a preliminary injunction against two parts of the law.
The judge was responding to a lawsuit filed by the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) against the law.
“If merely having a book accessible on the shelf where a minor can reach it will potentially subject librarians and booksellers to criminal penalties, such books may simply be removed,” Brooks wrote in his 49-page ruling.
The court’s decision was seen as a victory for First Amendment rights, preventing potential restrictions on access to non-obscene, constitutionally protected reading materials.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arkansas applauded the court’s decision to halt enforcement of the law.
Earlier this year, the American Library Association reported a significant increase in challenges to books.
A record 2,571 titles were challenged in 2022, a 38% increase from the previous year.
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