The American Library Association reported an “unprecedented spike” in the number of book removal requests in the final months of 2021, and most of these challenges focus on books about people from marginalized communities. Robert Kim asks whether such removals violate the First Amendment and explores how much discretion court have granted school officials in removing books from schools. Cases tend to hinge on the motivations behind such removals and bar officials from removing books because they express viewpoints officials and community members find objectionable while allowing the removal of books that are vulgar, not age-appropriate, or not educationally suitable.
