New Jersey is a bastion of literacy? Who’d a thunk it?

https://www.bespacific.com/new-law-in-nj-limits-the-banning-of-books-in-schools-and-public-libraries/

New law in NJ limits the banning of books in schools and public libraries

WHYY: “When Martha Hickson was the librarian at New Jersey’s North Hunterdon HighSchool, she fought against attempts to ban books that her critics labeled as inappropriate because they contained sexual content, and she became a target of book banners. “I received hate mail, shunning by colleagues, antagonism by administrators, and calls for my firing and arrest,” the recently retired librarian said. She said “a handful of parents called me by name a pedophile, pornographer and ruiner of children.” At issue were five award-winning books for young adults, all with LGBTQ themes. Hickson, who was named the 2023 Librarian of the Year by the New Jersey Library Association, said all the books were retained after the school board reviewed the matter and affirmed the titles met the district’s standards. On Monday at the Princeton Public Library, she watched as Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law A3446, known as the Freedom to Read Act. “This legislation mandates that books cannot be removed from our libraries solely based on the origin, background or views contained within the text, or because an individual finds it offensive,” he said.

(Related)

https://www.bespacific.com/arkansas-law-criminalizing-librarians-ruled-unconstitutional/

Arkansas Law Criminalizing Librarians Ruled Unconstitutional

AP: “A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional. “I respect the court’s ruling and will appeal,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press. The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children. The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, but an earlier ruling had temporarily blocked it from taking effect while it was being challenged in court. “The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for young children and segregate or discard the rest,” Brooks wrote in his ruling. A coalition that included the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock had challenged the law, saying fear of prosecution under the measure could prompt libraries and booksellers to no longer carry titles that could be challenged…”