A federal judge in Arkansas has blocked a Republican-backed law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing 'harmful' or 'obscene' materials to minors. The judge ruled that some elements of the law were too vague and unconstitutional, potentially leading to excessive censorship.
A Republican-backed Arkansas law allowing criminal charges to be pressed against librarians and booksellers for providing 'harmful' or 'obscene' materials to minors was blocked by a federal judge in a Monday ruling that declared some elements of the policy too vague and unconstitutional.
Brooks had previously blocked the law on a temporary basis, according to local reports, mere days before it was slated to take effect, but sided with the 18 plaintiffs who suggested two key provisions of the law were too vague and violated First Amendment protections this week. A separate report stated Brooks took issue with one of the law's provisions because it granted anyone the authority to challenge a library's decision, including interest groups outside of Arkansas.
Section five, the other contested provision, would have mandated 'a new procedure for libraries, city councils, and county quorum courts to follow when evaluating a citizen’s request to move or remove a book from a public library’s permanent collection,' according to Brooks' ruling. Brooks believed the provision was too vague, particularly through its use of terms like 'appropriate' and for not providing clearer requirements for restricting book access.
Fox News Digital reached out to the attorney general's office for further comment, but did not immediately hear back. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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