Key takeaways:
- A federal judge in Iowa issued a preliminary injunction to temporarily block key parts of a law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues.
- The law bans books depicting sex acts from school libraries and classrooms and forbids teachers from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through the sixth grade.
- The injunction was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which argued that the law was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment.
A federal judge in Iowa has issued a preliminary injunction to temporarily block key parts of a law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues.
Judge Stephen Locher’s ruling halts enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect on January 1st, 2021. The law was passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by GOP Governor Kim Reynolds in early 2023.
The law bans books depicting sex acts from school libraries and classrooms and forbids teachers from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through the sixth grade.
The injunction was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which argued that the law was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment. The ACLU also argued that the law was “incredibly broad” and had resulted in the removal of history volumes, novels, and other books from school libraries.
The injunction will remain in effect until the court can hear the case in full. The ACLU of Iowa is optimistic that the court will ultimately strike down the law.
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