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PEN America
book bans

Florida Bans More Books Than Any Other U.S. State, Report Says

Florida bans more books from its public school libraries and classrooms than any other state in the country, according to a new report from PEN America released on Thursday.

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book ban rally

Three Laws Signed by DeSantis at the Center of Florida’s Surge in Book Bans

Book bans have been surging across the country, but in Florida, school boards across the state have been purging their shelves following the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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book bans

PEN America Sues Florida School District Over Book Bans

PEN America, along with Penguin Random House publishing, select authors and parents of children enrolled in Florida’s Escambia County School District filed a federal lawsuit against the district and its board May 17 requesting banned books and those under review be returned to library shelves.

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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. 

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‘We are Salman’ Supporters of Free Speech Rally in New York City

The seriousness of the stabbing attack which cut his neck, liver and severed nerves in his arm, didn’t deter Rushdie from offering some ideas to PEN America about which readings of his the writers, editors and artists might deliver in front of a crowd of hundreds listening on the library steps for the #StandWithSalman event Friday morning.

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Kentucky Senate Passes Bill That Would Make it A Crime to “Taunt” a Police Officer

While there may exist some disagreement as to whether raising penalties for crimes associated with rioting violates the First Amendment, there is at least one provision in the Kentucky bill that is explicitly unconstitutional. 

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Dare to Speak: Free Speech in Our Troubled Times

Watch the full video interview between writer Salman Rushdie and human rights advocate and PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel as they discuss today's most pressing free speech issues, including the monopoly of social media giants and the rise in global attacks on free expression.

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Journalistic Solutions to Misinformation and Restoring Public Trust in the News

Join us for a conversation on February 10th with Nora Benavidez on how journalists and readers can help slow the spread of misinformation and restore public trust in news. The Q&A is part of our #FAWPublicForum event series, a monthly conversation with First Amendment experts on contemporary free speech issues. 

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