"Judge Stephen Locher of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa heard oral arguments today on a Motion for Preliminary Injunction to immediately pause enforcement of sections in SF 496. Enacted in May 2023, SF 496 prohibits certain books from public school and classroom libraries. Penalties for enforcement of SF 496 go into effect on January 1, 2024.
"Should a public school employee make the wrong guess about which books are not allowed in their classroom or school library, they could lose their job, teaching license, and career.
"Today’s hearing was essential in ISEA’s lawsuit against this vague and censorious law. We asked the judge to recognize that entire careers are at stake over a law that violates the First Amendment’s free speech clause and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause in the United States Constitution. The law strips Iowa public education professionals of their ability to determine what books work best in their classrooms and school libraries and impedes student access to constitutionally protected books.
"Today, we asked for a temporary stay of enforcement of the law while our lawsuit works through the court system. Library books and classroom materials used in our public schools should remain the responsibility of education experts and locally elected school boards within the parameters of our state-approved education standards. Equitable book access is essential in a free and democratic society, particularly in our public schools."
