Federal Judge Orders Return of Banned Books in Llano County, Texas

A federal judge in Texas has ordered at least 12 books, including those with LGBTQ and racial content, to be returned to public libraries within 24 hours after they were removed by Llano County officials. The lawsuit filed by seven residents claimed their First and 14th Amendment rights were violated when books deemed inappropriate by some people in the community and Republican lawmakers were removed from public libraries or access was restricted. The fight to protect access to books comes amid a book banning boom, with an alarming increase in attempts to censor books in K-12 schools, universities and public libraries.