Florida book ban challenge lawsuits reach appellate courts

The federal legal battle over the future of a Florida law that gives parents and others the right to target school library books for removal is moving to the appellate court, with an outcome that may have national implications.

Lawsuits challenging House Bill 1069, which was passed two years ago, have had different outcomes depending on the judge. In September, Judge Allen Winsor of the Northern District of Florida concluded that the Escambia County School Board’s decision to remove the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” from library bookshelves reflected government speech and that the free-speech rights of students or authors were not violated.