South Carolina Attorney General Leads 17-State Coalition To Ban 'Divisive' Content from Schools | Fox 57
Educational materials deemed "racially or sexually divisive" could be restricted in public schools in 17 states under a new brief launched Wednesday. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is leading the coalition to keep these materials from public schools. In a friend-of-the-court brief filed this week, the 17 attorneys general argue that the law does not ban access to the contested material altogether, just its presence in public schools funded by taxpayers. The coalition includes attorneys general from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Florida Districts Schools Remove Books After State Threatens Hillsborough County | Tampa Bay Times
Just weeks after the Florida State Board of Education discussed punishing Hillsborough County school officials over library books deemed “pornographic,” leaders in several other Florida districts began pulling those same items from their shelves.

New Hampshire Governor Vetoes So-Called Book Ban Bill | WMUR
Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have prohibited schools from distributing materials the bill defines as "harmful to minors."

Here Are the 596 Books Being Banned by Defense Department Schools | Military.com
The full list was released by the order of a federal judge as part of the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against the Department of Defense Education Activity's implementation of President Donald Trump's anti-diversity and anti-LGBTQIA+ executive orders. The majority of books on the list appear to be related to LGBTQIA+ themes and issues. Another sizable chunk of the banned books discuss race and racism in America.

Florida District School Board Isn't Shielded from Testifying in Long-Running Court Battle Over Banned Books | WFSU
A federal appeals court rejected an attempt to shield Escambia County (FL) School Board members from testifying in a long-running legal battle about removing or restricting access to books in school libraries. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal that the board filed after U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell ruled in November that board members must testify because they are not protected by what is known as “legislative privilege.”

US Supreme Court’s Opt-Out for LGBTQIA+ Materials Doesn’t Cancel Out Oregon’s New Book Ban Law | Jefferson Public Radio
Senate Bill 1098 ensures school libraries in Oregon are not allowed to remove books based solely on the content being by or about members of a protected class. Titles can’t be removed based on factors such as race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or military status.

Controversial Sumner County policy banning transgender books fails, again. | The Tennessean
A controversial policy that included a ban on books with transgender topics in all Sumner County (TN) libraries has been rejected, marking the second time the county tried to pass the ban. The vote happened at the July 9 Sumner County Library Board meeting, where the measure failed with four in favor, two opposed and two abstentions. The policy, which sought to ban anything that makes “mention of pertaining, promoting, or subjecting a minor to transgender or gender confusion ideology,” was originally proposed in early 2025. 

Which Books Has a Virginia District Removed from Its Libraries? | WRIC via MSN 
Since 2020, Hanover County Public Schools has removed 125 books from its school libraries, the most of any school division in Virginia. 

Maryland District’s Decision To Ban Book Has Parents, Teachers Voicing Concerns | CBS News
Some Harford County (MD) parents and teachers spoke out against the school board's decision to ban an award-winning illustrated novel from its libraries. The book, Flamer by Mike Curato, was previously approved by district committees. However, parents said the school board voted to ban the book during a closed-door session in late June, after public appeals. This is the first book to be removed by the district after it created a process to review books flagged by concerned parents.

Massachusetts Bills Aimed at Protecting Librarians, Preventing Book Bans Get Hearing | WAMC
Massachusetts lawmakers are once again pushing bills to protect books and librarians in the face of ongoing “book challenges.” The bills have previously gone before committees and fell short, but as advocates point out, changes in Washington and Supreme Court decisions bring new urgency.

Alabama Library Board Proposes Ban on Material Discussing Transgender Issues from Kids’ Sections | Alabama Reflector
The language would deem positive depictions of transgender procedures or nonbinary descriptions of gender “inappropriate for children and youth.”

Naval Academy Settles on Shorter List of Banned Books as Pentagon Panel Weighs Ultimate Decision | military.com
According to a list of the 21 books ultimately pulled from the shelves that was reviewed by Military.com, the titles all deal with affirmative action programs, diversity and discrimination, and the experiences of transgender people.

New Jersey District School Board Overrules Its Own Book Committee, Bans Gender Queer | Daily Record
North Jersey schools are in the middle of their summer break, but the controversy over LGBTQIA+-themed books in their libraries rages on, at least in one Morris County town.

Beyond Words: Callie Crossley Covers the Resistance to Book Bans | WGBH
An outspoken cohort of librarians, activists, authors, and literary enthusiasts is rising to oppose book banning and censorship.