Lawsuits Filed Against Florida School District Over Book Bans and Restrictions

PEN America and Penguin Random House have filed a federal lawsuit against the Escambia County School District and its School Board for violating the First Amendment by removing 10 books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves. The lawsuit alleges that the removals stem from objections from one language arts teacher in the county, and in each case, the school board voted to remove the books over recommendations from a district review committee that deemed them educationally suitable. The case does not name Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a defendant, though he has championed policies that allow the censorship and challenging of books based on whether they are appropriate for children in schools.