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Forbidden Knowledge: School Libraries, the First Amendment, and the Right to Receive Information
No full textIn the past five years, numerous Republican legislators and conservative parental groups have aggressively pushed to restrict sexual content in public schools. Many school districts have adopted policies that limit what topics are covered in class, and several statewide laws have legitimized and mandated these policies. Consequently, books featuring queer themes or characters are rapidly disappearing from public school libraries. These library restrictions, or book bans, have sparked substantial controversy and litigation.
This Comment examines state laws restricting public school libraries in Texas, Florida, and Iowa, arguing that these library restrictions violate the First Amendment on multiple grounds. Additionally, it evaluates ongoing legal challenges to these laws and argues that courts should affirm the unconstitutionality of politically motivated school library restrictions