Federal judge blocks Texas book rating law

In the US, a federal judge has officially blocked Texas’s controversial book rating law, HB 900, from taking effect, reports Publishers Weekly.

The 59-page opinion and order is a victory for freedom-to-read advocates who have campaigned against the law, which was signed by Texas governor Greg Abbott in June. HB 900 would have required book vendors to review and rate books for sexual content as a condition of doing business with Texas public schools, banned materials deemed ‘patently offensive’ from schools, and given the state ultimate say over the rating of books, among other measures.

In response, two Texas bookshops—together with the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund—argued the law was unconstitutional and would place an untenable burden on vendors and publishers. In his opinion, judge Alan D Albright agreed with the plaintiffs.

‘The Court does not dispute that the state has a strong interest in what children are able to learn and access in schools,’ Albright wrote. ‘And the Court surely agrees that children should be protected from obscene content in the school setting. That said, [the law] misses the mark on obscenity with a web of unconstitutionally vague requirements. And the state, in abdicating its responsibility to protect children, forces private individuals and corporations into compliance with an unconstitutional law that violates the First Amendment.’

In a statement, the plaintiffs said: ‘We thank the court for its clear and decisive ruling and applaud its finding that this law violates the First Amendment, imposes impossibly onerous conditions on booksellers, and ignores the vastly different community standards across local communities. Today is a great day for Texas booksellers, publishers, readers, and communities.’

Category: International news