April 17, 2024      12:39 PM

Fifth Circuit guts Texas book restrictions pushed by Rep. Patterson, who is disappointed in the most conservative appeals court in the US

Booksellers sued, saying the law violated the First Amendment and would devastate their businesses

Via the San Antonio Express-News:

Key portions of a law signed last year by Gov. Greg Abbott requiring booksellers to rate books for sexual content when selling to schools will not go into effect after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday declined to re-consider an earlier decision.

It’s a win for booksellers, especially independent ones, who sued the state last year saying the law violated the First Amendment and would devastate their businesses.

…Rep. Jared Patterson, a Frisco Republican who authored the bill, disagreed with the court’s decision.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that a majority of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with book vendors who push pornography on unsuspecting children in our public schools,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media. “Any judge claiming the State of Texas cannot require government vendors to ensure they don’t send sexually explicit content to children in our schools is just plain wrong.”

Copyright April 17, 2024, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved