An Unprecedented Uptick in Book Bans Brings First Amendment Scrutiny

Virginia is among the top 10 states in book banning conflicts, according to a PEN America study. There, the ongoing battle has led most recently to a state judge throwing out a decades-old state obscenity law that had the effect of imposing a prior restraint on book distributors. And it stirred widespread opposition including one of the largest booksellers in the nation, Barnes & Noble. 

Missouri Introduces Bill Banning Books Containing “Age-Inappropriate Sexual Materials”

The bill threatens to withhold state aid to public libraries whose bookshelves house materials that contain “any form of nudity, sexuality, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse that: Taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors...”