Missouri schools banned books because of this law. A KC judge just struck it down
A Kansas City judge this week struck down a Missouri law that banned “explicit sexual material” from schools and led to the removal of hundreds of books from local districts.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Youngs, in a ruling on Monday, found that the 2022 law was too vague and broad and violated the Missouri Constitution.
The brief, five-page ruling did not offer specifics based on his decision. But the order marked a win for Missouri library associations, which sued over the law in 2023 arguing that it forced schools to remove from their shelves scores of books and classic novels.
The 2022 law was part of a broader, coordinated effort by conservatives in Missouri and across the country to curtail the contents of school books. The sweeping culture war push also resulted in lawmakers briefly attempting to cut library funding in 2023 in response to the lawsuit.
Jenn Baldwin, president of the Missouri Association of School Librarians, championed the ruling in a statement on Wednesday, saying it restored librarians’ “ability to support students’ literacy without fear of arbitrary enforcement.”
“This decision affirms our work as Missouri school librarians to respect parental rights to help their own children select diverse books appropriate for them,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin’s association and the Missouri Library Association were represented in the lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and the Stinson law firm.
The law threatened librarians or other school employees who violate it with a misdemeanor, risking up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine. After it took effect, districts across the state pulled hundreds of titles from school libraries.
In the Kansas City area, Independence schools removed a dozen graphic novels from library shelves, including a comic book version of Kurt Vonnegut’s American classic “Slaughterhouse-Five,” the iconic graphic novel “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, “Blankets” by Craig Thompson and “Home After Dark” by David Small, according to records previously obtained by The Star.
The lawsuit from the ACLU and Stinson was aimed at the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as well as county prosecutors across the state. However, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office defended the law in court.
A spokesperson for Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. However, the ruling could be appealed to a higher court.
