On Monday, December 8th, the United States Supreme Court decided not to hear an appeal regarding a free speech case brought before the court by a group of Texas residents. The case concerned a decision made by Texas courts that allows local officials to remove 17 books from the public libraries in Texas.
The books that were removed were deemed ‘objectionable’ by officials and removed as a result. At this time, not all the books that were removed from the public libraries have been revealed. The books that we know about are “In the Night Kitchen”, “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.”, “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies”, “Spinning”, “Sex and Sexual Health”, and “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent”.
It is important to note that this decision does not make the books “banned” or anything of the sort. This decision simply removes them from public libraries and other similar institutions. These books can still be purchased online and are not illegal to own or distribute to friends and acquaintances.
According to the case, the books were removed because officials decided that using taxpayer funds to keep these books in public libraries was unnecessary. Additionally, the court found that a public library’s decision to stock these books is an example of government speech, not the free speech given to citizens under the First Amendment.
Judge Kyle Duncan, who was responsible for writing the majority opinion for the case, gave the following statement regarding the situation: “Take a deep breath, everyone. No one is banning (or burning) books. If a disappointed patron can’t find a book in the library, he can order it online, buy it from a bookstore, or borrow it from a friend.”
