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July 31, 2023

Federal Court Blocks Arkansas Censorship Law Criminalizing Librarians and Booksellers
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A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas law that would allow criminal
charges against librarians and booksellers for providing "harmful"
materials to children and teens. The law, signed by Republican governor
and former Trump spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders in March, would
have gone into effect tomorrow, Tuesday. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on
behalf of various Arkansas libraries, bookstores, librarians and
readers. Seventeen-year-old plaintiff and high school student Hayden
Kirby said, "I want to fight for our rights to intellectual freedom and
ensure that libraries remain spaces where young Arkansans can explore
diverse perspectives."


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