Arkansas's Censorship Law deemed to contain unconstitutional provisions

[Jessica_Rose]

Arkansas's Censorship Law deemed to contain unconstitutional provisions

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/arkansas-s-censorship-law-deemed-to-contain-unconstitutional-provisions/ar-AA1wod5D?ocid=windirect&cvid=3c8e071bcde549f69a404b20829ef45c&ei=57

Story by Kylon Williams

On June 2, 2023, Sections 1 and 5 of Arkansas Act 372 were challenged by a coalition of public libraries, library organizations, professional librarians, library patrons, booksellers, patrons of bookstores, booksellers' associations, and author's associations for their constitutionality.

Act 372 "amends the law concerning libraries and obscene materials, creates the offense of furnishing a harmful item to a minor; and amends the law concerning obscene materials loaned by library."

Section 1 states that librarians, booksellers, and others who make certain media "available" to anyone under the age of eighteen will face a misdemeanor penalty of up to one year in jail.

Section 5 would create a new mandate that libraries, city councils, and county quorum courts would have to follow "when evaluating a citizen's request to move or remove a book from a public library's permanent collection."

On December 23, the federal district court struck down key provisions of Arkansas's censorship law, Act 372, as they deemed the act as unconstitutional.

With the striking down of the act, libraries, bookstores, and readers are will continue to be protected from harmful restrictions and criminal penalties that would arise from providing or accessing diverse literature.