Federal judge strikes down Florida's book ban: "None of these books are obscene"https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/08/federal-judge-strikes-down-floridas-book-ban-none-of-these-books-are-obscene/Zane McNeill (18 Aug 2025)
A federal judge in Florida has struck down major parts of the state's book ban law, ruling that it violates the First Amendment by sweeping protected literature off school library shelves.
In 2023, Florida enacted H.B. 1069, expanding the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law to prohibit classroom discussions of LGBTQ+ identities through the end of high school. The measure also required schools to remove books flagged for "sexual content," a vague standard most often applied to works addressing race, gender, and sexuality.
Six major book publishers, the Authors Guild, and parents from Escambia County sued after dozens of books were removed. They argued that H.B. 1069 gave parents and residents unchecked power to demand removals of any book considered "pornographic" or "describes sexual conduct," without clear legal definitions. Under this sweeping standard, students lost access to award-winning books including The Color Purple, Cloud Atlas, The Freedom Writers Diary, Looking for Alaska, Slaughterhouse-Five, Shout, The Handmaid's Tale, Beloved, and The Bluest Eye.
In a broad order, federal Judge Carlos Mendoza of the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida found the state's book ban unconstitutionally overbroad, calling it an "I know it when I see it" test that chilled free speech.
"None of these books are obscene," Mendoza wrote in his order. "The restrictions placed on these books are thus unreasonable."
