Major publishers and authors are suing Florida over its book ban law

Aug 30

Jack Aylmer Anchor

By Jack Aylmer (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Jake Maslo (Video Editor)

The nation’s largest book publishing company, Penguin Random House, and other publishing groups announced on Thursday, Aug. 29, that they are suing Florida over its state law prohibiting books with sexual content in school libraries. The plaintiffs claim that the lawsuit is to protect the First Amendment as fights over book bans are on the rise across the United States.

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Florida’s law, enacted last year, requires schools to remove books that are deemed to contain sexual content. It also forces schools to remove a book immediately if a single parent or county resident complains that it depicts sexual conduct, leaving the book in limbo until the complaint is resolved.

The lawsuit states that Florida’s law is too broad and would, in theory, require the removal of the “Oxford English Dictionary” because of its definition of sex. Plaintiffs argue that the ambiguity invites overly broad interpretations and “chills protected speech.”

Florida’s Department of Education Communications Director Sydney Booker called the lawsuit a “stunt.”

“There are no banned books in Florida,” Booker said. “Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools.”

However, the plaintiffs said that they do not want to keep obscene material in schools but take issue with removing books labeled “pornographic” when they should not be.

The suit cites literature like Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five,” Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.”

“These books are timeless classics, renowned for literary value,” the lawsuit said. “Many of them have won awards or are bestsellers. They have been on shelves of school libraries for years and they are not remotely obscene.”

The lawsuit comes after Florida banned more than 1,400 books during the 2022-23 school year. Texas enacted more than 620 book bans, the second most in the country.

Tags: Banned books, Books, First Amendment, Florida, Florida Department of Education, Free Speech, Republicans, Ron DeSantis

[JACK AYLMER]

ANOTHER FLASHPOINT IN THE ONGOING SOCIAL WAR OVER BOOK BANS.

SOME OF THE NATION’S LARGEST BOOK PUBLISHERS AND BESTSELLING AUTHORS ARE SUING FLORIA OVER ITS LAW PROHIBITING SEXUAL CONTENT IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

THE PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS CLAIM THE SUIT IS TO PROTECT THE FIRST AMENDMENT AS BOOK BANS ARE ON THE RISE ACROSS THE U-S.

THE LAWSUIT ASSERTS THE LAW IS SO BROAD IT WOULD IN THEORY REQUIRE THE REMOVAL OF THE ‘OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY’ BECAUSE OF ITS DEFINITION OF SEX.

THE PLAINTIFFS ARGUE “THIS VAGUENESS AND AMBIGUITY RESULT IN OVERBROAD INTERPRETATIONS” AND “CHILL PROTECTED SPEECH.

THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR CALLED THE LAWSUIT A “STUNT”– AND ARGUED “THERE ARE NO BANNED BOOKS IN FLORIDA. SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL AND INSTRUCTION ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR SCHOOLS.”

PROPONENTS HAVE ALSO ARGUED THE STATUE PROTECTS CHILDREN FROM OBSCENE MATERIAL.

BUT THE PLAINTIFFS CONTEND THEY DON’T WANT TO KEEP OBSCENE MATERIALS IN SCHOOLS BUT TAKE ISSUE WITH REMOVING BOOKS LABELED “PORNOGRAPHIC” WHEN THEY BELIEVE THEY’RE SIMPLY NOT.

THE SUIT CITES LITERARY CLASSICS LIKE KURT VONNEGUT’S, SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, ERNEST HEMINGWAY’S, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, AND ALDOUS HUXLEY’S, BRAVE NEW WORLD, AS SOME OF THE BOOKS REMOVED.

STATING:

“THESE BOOKS ARE TIMELESS CLASSICS, RENOWNED FOR LITERARY VALUE. MANY OF THEM HAVE WON AWARDS OR ARE BESTSELLERS. THEY HAVE BEEN ON SHELVES OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES FOR YEARS AND THEY ARE NOT REMOTELY OBSCENE.”

FLORIDA’S LAW PASSED LAST YEAR, REQUIRES THE REQUIRES SCHOOLS TO REMOVE A BOOK IMMEDIATELY IF A SINGLE PARENT COMPLAINS IT DEPICTS SEXUAL CONDUCT.

A DECISION TO PUT THE BACK ON THE SHELF OR NOT CAN NOT BE MADE UNTIL THE COMPLAINT IS RESOLVED.

FLORIDA REPORTEDLY BANNED MORE THAN 14 HUNDRED DURING THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR. TEXAS WAS SECOND WITH MORE THAN 620 BOOK BANS.

FOR MORE ON THIS LEGAL BATTLE– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M JACK AYLMER.