The law, which threatened imprisonment if librarians or booksellers provided ‘harmful’ content to minors, violates the First Amendment, a federal judge ruled.

A law in Arkansas that threatened librarians and booksellers if they were found to have provided “harmful” content to minors has been struck down by a federal judge over concerns related to free speech.

Republicans passed the law in 2023, joining other conservative states and counties that have sought to restrict the availability of certain books.