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U.S.|North Dakota Lawmakers Pass Bill Restricting Library Books Deemed Obscene
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/us/north-dakota-books-obscene.html
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The bill, which applies to public and school libraries, is part of a national push by Republicans to crack down on content they consider inappropriate for children.
April 14, 2025, 5:24 p.m. ET
North Dakota lawmakers narrowly passed a bill on Monday that would require most libraries in the state to keep material deemed sexually explicit in areas that are difficult for minors to access. Under the measure, librarians who do not comply could face prosecution.
The legislation is part of a broader push by conservatives to restrict access to library books that they consider inappropriate for children, an effort that has alarmed many librarians and free speech advocates. New library laws or regulations have been approved in recent years in several Republican-led states, including Iowa, Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
The North Dakota measure, which still must go to Gov. Kelly Armstrong, a Republican, is the state’s latest effort to restrict library content. In 2023, former Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, signed a measure that required explicit materials to be removed from the children’s sections of libraries. But Mr. Burgum, who is now secretary of the interior, vetoed a bill that would have imposed criminal penalties on librarians found guilty of willfully exposing minors to sexually explicit materials.
The measure passed on Monday was somewhat less punitive. It gives librarians a 10-day period to remove materials that a local prosecutor finds to be obscene. Only if the librarian fails to comply during that period could they face criminal charges.
The bill divided Republicans in the North Dakota House of Representatives, which voted 49 to 45 to pass it. Mike Nowatzki, a spokesman for Mr. Armstrong, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In legislative hearings, Republican supporters defended the bill as a way to protect children from inappropriate or harmful content. Some lawmakers cited examples of North Dakota libraries stocking materials with sexual themes and illustrations that they found offensive, and complained that librarians often failed to take parents’ complaints about books seriously.
