John Green and Jodi Picoult Join Publishers, Authors and Advocates in a Lawsuit Against Florida Book Bans

Mar. 15, 2025

John Green, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas are all plaintiffs in publishers' case against the State of Florida.Photo:Getty(3)

Getty(3)

On Thursday, Aug. 29, Penguin Random House announced in a press release that it — along with Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks — would be filing a suit against the state to challenge House Bill 1069.

Back in 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1069 into effect, giving parents a say in what books schools can and can’t have in their libraries. TheAssociated Press reportedat the time that the law would require Florida schools to provide a searchable list of all books in their libraries, and school boards have to give notice to the public if adding in new reading materials.

A Tale of Two Cities.

The law has resulted in hundreds of books being removed from school libraries indefinitely, and theAP also reportedthat aPEN America studyfound that 72% of objections to school library materials in the first half of 2024 came from Florida.

One of the attorneys representing the group of plaintiffs, Dan Novack said in the press release that the law’s “complex and overbroad provisions have created chaos and turmoil across the state, resulting in thousands of historic and modern classics — works we are proud to publish — being unlawfully labeled obscene and removed from shelves.”

“Students need access to books that reflect a wide range of human experiences to learn and grow,” Novack continued. “It’s imperative for the education of our young people that teachers and librarians be allowed to use their professional expertise to match our authors’ books to the right reader at the right time in their life.”

Anne Frank’s “Diary of a Young Girl,” also named in the suit.Bantam

Bantam

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that HB 1069’s book removal requirements violate a Supreme Court decision from 1973, which found that media works with obscene content should be reviewed in their entirety for their “literary, artistic, political and scientific value.” The suit also argues that “trained educators” should be the ones making the decisions of what to include and not include in school libraries.

“There is no greater gift than hearing that your words have deeply impacted someone’s life,” the authors wrote in a joint statement. “We share our stories in hopes that they will resonate with readers, help them feel understood and introduce them to new perspectives. Laws like HB 1069 in Florida deprive students of this opportunity and must be stopped.”

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The suit asks the U.S. District Court to rule that the prohibition of these books is unconstitutional, and asks for “just and proper” financial relief.

source: people.com