U.S.

A federal judge upheld a lower court ruling against part of Act 372, an Arkansas bill signed into law in 2023 aimed at regulating libraries and bookshops. The legislation would have paved the way for criminal charges against booksellers and librarians who provided “harmful” material to children. Gov. Sarah Sanders said the law is based on “common sense.” She said, “schools and libraries shouldn’t put obscene material in front of our kids.” Although Arkansas already has a law prohibiting “obscenity” from public libraries, Act 372 took it further. The law allowed people to challenge material they deem obscene or harmful.…