Books on the censored list included “The Handmaid's Tale” and "Slaughterhouse-Five"
Orlando-based US district judge Carlos Mendoza has rejected critical aspects of a Florida legislation that helped facilitate the removal of certain books from public school libraries and classrooms, reported the Associated Press.
Mendoza ruled last Wednesday that House Bill 1069’s prohibition of material describing sexual conduct was too broad. The bill, which was signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in 2023, established a process for parents to campaign for the removal of books they found inappropriate for young people.
Challenged books had to be taken off school shelves within five days of a complaint’s filing and kept unavailable throughout the review process, per MSNBC. The law has largely impacted books written by non-White and LGBTQ authors.
In 2024, ~4,500 books were removed from the shelves of central Florida schools as a result of the legislation. Books that were censored included “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood and “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut.
The challenge against the legislation was filed by major publishers and authors whose books were removed. The plaintiffs included publishing houses Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing, and Simon and Schuster, as well as authors Angie Thomas, Jodi Picoult, John Green, and Julia Alvarez.
“Historically, librarians curate their collections based on their sound discretion not based on decrees from on high. There is also evidence that the statute has swept up more non-obscene books than just the ones referenced here,” Mendoza said in a statement published by AP News.
The judge described Florida’s interpretation of the law as unconstitutional; instead, schools should follow a US Supreme Court precedent where the decision to remove a book is based on whether or not an average person would find the work prurient overall; whether or not sexual content was depicted in an offensive manner; and whether or not the work held literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
