PRH, Pen America file suit over Florida book bans

In the US, Penguin Random House (PRH), together with PEN America, a group of authors and a group of parents, have filed a federal lawsuit against a Florida school district against the ‘unconstitutional’ removal of books from school libraries, reports Publishers Weekly (PW).

The suit alleges that administrators and school board members in the Escambia County School District are violating the First Amendment, as well as the equal protection clause of the US constitution, because the books being singled out are ‘disproportionately books by non-white and/or LGBTQ+ authors’ and often address ‘themes or topics’ related to race or the LGBTQ+ community’. The suit seeks to have the district’s actions declared unconstitutional and banned books returned to library shelves.

PEN officials called the suit a ‘first-of-its-kind challenge to unlawful censorship,’ as it brings together parents, authors, and a major publisher. PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya said in a statement: ‘Censorship, in the form of book bans like those enacted by Escambia County, are a direct threat to democracy and our Constitutional rights.’ ‘We stand by our authors, their books, and the teachers, librarians, and parents who champion free expression. We are proud to join forces with our longtime partner PEN America,’ Malaviya said.

PW writes that the lawsuit is a ‘major, and long-awaited’ response to a ‘disturbing, politically-motivated surge in book bans and legislation now in its third year’. In March, the American Library Association (ALA) reported a surge in book bans, announcing it had recorded 1269 ‘demands to censor library books and resources’ in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling censorship data more than 20 years ago, and nearly double the 729 challenges recorded in 2021.

Category: International news