Showing posts with label legal definition of obscenity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legal definition of obscenity. Show all posts

Friday, March 18, 2022

Wake County Library Makes It Harder to Ban Books; IndyWeek, March 16, 2022

Jasmine Gallup, IndyWeek; Wake County Library Makes It Harder to Ban Books

"Wake County’s Community Services program manager Frank Cope replied that if a book was challenged on the grounds of “obscenity” or another First Amendment concern, the library would consult the county attorney’s office. Leaders plan to add a provision to the policy clarifying how and when a lawyer will be involved in book challenges.

The American Library Association advises that libraries have a lawyer on retainer to consult on legal issues, Caldwell-Stone says. But there are some potential snags in using the county attorney to fill that role.

“There’s a conflict of interest, especially when there are elected officials arguing a book should be pulled and you have the county attorney make a decision,” Caldwell-Stone says. “It should be independent legal counsel that doesn’t also represent the police department and the county government.”"