Judge Strikes Down Portions of Arkansas Law That Threatened Librarians

A federal judge has struck down portions of an Arkansas law that could have sent librarians and booksellers to prison for providing material that might be considered harmful to minors.The ruling by Judge Timothy Brooks of the U.S.District Court in the Western District of Arkansas is certain to be appealed.

But his decision on Monday provided at least a temporary victory to librarians and booksellers who have said that the law would create a chilling effect since anyone could object to any book and pursue criminal charges against the person who provided it.“This was an attempt to ‘thought police,’ and this victory over totalitarianism is a testament to the courage of librarians, booksellers and readers who refused to bow to intimidation,” said Holly Dickson, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas.Gov.Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, said in a statement that “schools and libraries shouldn’t put obscene material in front of our kids,” and she vowed to work with Tim Griffin, the state’s attorney general, to appeal the ruling.Republicans passed the law, known as Act 372, in 2023, joining a wave of other conservative states and counties around the country that have increasingly sought to restrict the availability of certain kinds of books, particularly those with themes centered around race and L.G.B.T.Q.

issues.An earlier ruling in July 2023 blocked parts of the law from taking effect while it was being challenged in court.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....