Book Publishers, Authors, and Escambia Parents Get 'Major Win' in Book Ban Lawsuit | Pensacola News Journal
A federal judge rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the Escambia County school district violated free speech rights through its removal and restriction of school library books. The lawsuit, filed by PEN America, Penguin Random House, five authors, and seven Escambia County parents, asks that all challenged and banned library books be returned to library shelves. In a hearing Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Pensacola, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II explained his decision to let the case move forward, saying that while the school board reserves the power to remove books from the district for legitimate reasons, they cannot remove them because they do not align with their moral beliefs. While the school library should be diverse in the "marketplace of ideas," it is ultimately up to the parents to decide what is appropriate for their own family, he said.

Oscar Contender The ABCs Of Book Banning To Be Made Available For Free At U.S. Public Libraries This Weekend | Deadline
MTV Documentary Films is making its Oscar-shortlisted documentary free to public library patrons across this country on Saturday, January 13.

Florida’s Book-Banning Crusade Has Found Its Next Target: Dictionaries | Vanity Fair
A law signed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis last year has led one school district to remove three publishers’ dictionaries, while another removed classics like Paradise Lost and East of Eden for their descriptions of “sexual conduct."

Amidst Nationwide Textbook Bans, Attorney General Bonta Issues Alert | CA Department of Justice
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a legal alert to all California school district boards, county offices of education, and superintendents emphasizing their obligation to provide inclusive curricula, instructional materials, and books that reflect the roles and contributions of California’s diverse population.

Should Wisconsin Libraries Always Notify Guardians When Kids Check Out Materials? | Wisconsin Public Radio
The executive director of the state's 2023 Library of the Year says libraries already allow enough parental oversight.

Iowa Schools Re-Shelving Books Following Injunction of New Law | The Gazette
A federal judge temporarily blocked Senate File 496, which banned books that depicted or described any of a list of sex acts from public schools.

Montana School Board Flags Six Books for Review as Book Ban Trend Spikes Nationwide | Q2 Montana
The six titles to be reviewed are Assassination Classroom Vol. 4 by Yusei Matsui, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao, Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk, A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow, and Crumbs by Danie Stirling.

Virginia School Board Votes To 'Temporarily Remove' 57 Books | Daily News-Record
In a 4-1 vote, the Rockingham County (VA) School Board voted to “temporarily remove” a list of titles that includes Beloved, Looking for Alaska, and All Boys Aren’t Blue while the board adopts new processes to review books included in school libraries.