An Arkansas law that subjects librarians to prosecution for providing “harmful” material to minors ran into a problem: the First Amendment. Jordan_S_Rubin explains the court ruling.
that subjects librarians and booksellers to prosecution for providing “harmful” material to minors was set to take effect Tuesday. But it ran into a problem: the First Amendment.
One problem with the law is that it’s too broad. Minors cover anyone under 18, so the only way for libraries and bookstores to comply would be to keep all minors away from any material with any amount of sexual content. He concluded the “breadth of this legislation and its restrictions on constitutionally protected speech are therefore unjustified.”Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileSpecifically, in that its use of the terms “presents,” “makes available” and “shows” leaves librarians and booksellers “unsure about whether placing books known to contain sexual content on the bookshelves may subject them to liability once a minor walks through the front door,” Brooks wrote.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Judge blocks Arkansas law allowing librarians to be criminally charged over ‘harmful’ materialsArkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors, a federal judge rules.
Read more »
Judge blocks Arkansas law allowing librarians to be criminally chargedA federal judge has temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors.
Read more »
Judge blocks Arkansas law allowing librarians to be charged over ‘harmful’ materialsThe number of attempts to ban or restrict books across the U.S. last year was the highest in the 20 years the American Library Association has been tracking such efforts.
Read more »
Judge Temporarily Blocks Arkansas Law Criminalizing Access to Certain BooksA federal judge has temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing portions of a law that would restrict what books can be made available to children
Read more »
Federal judge blocks Arkansas law banning librarians from exposing minors to 'harmful' materialA judge has blocked a law from taking effect in Arkansas that would have allowed criminal charges to be brought against librarians for exposing minors to 'harmful' materials.
Read more »
Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Criminalizing Librarians'Do Arkansans still legally have access to reading materials? Luckily, the judicial system has once again defended our highly valued liberties,' said the head of the ArkansasACLU.
Read more »