Federal Lawsuit Against Florida School Book Removals Proceeds

Escambia County School Board faces legal challenge over removal of over 2,800 books, including dictionaries, under new state law.

Escambia County in Florida has removed over 2,800 books, including dictionaries and encyclopedias, from school libraries for review under a new state law that restricts content related to 'sexual conduct'.
The removals are part of a wider national trend of school book challenges that began in 2021, with Florida leading the surge.
A federal lawsuit against the Escambia County School Board, filed by Penguin Random House, PEN America, authors and parents, is proceeding in court, challenging the constitutionality of the book removals.
The lawsuit argues that the removals violate the First Amendment by censoring books based on ideological disagreement with their content.
Escambia County has become a testing ground for free speech advocates' arguments against book restrictions.