Federal court reverses decision on Idaho’s library materials law, returns case to lower court

Federal court reverses decision on Idaho’s library materials law, returns case to lower court

A federal appeals court delivered welcome news for opponents of the Idaho Legislature’s 2024 law that established civil penalties for libraries and schools that allow children to access “harmful” material. (Getty Images)This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Jan. 30, 2026. A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered welcome news for opponents of the Idaho Legislature’s 2024 law that established civil penalties for libraries and…

Federal court reverses decision on Idaho's 'harmful' library law, returns case to lower court

UPDATED Friday, Jan. 30, at 2:10 p.m. with comments from the Idaho Family Policy Center and to clarify that the law is still in effect and that Rep. Jaron Crane was a co-sponsor of the bill. A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered welcome news for opponents of the Idaho Legislature’s 2024 law that established civil penalties for libraries and schools that allow children to access “harmful” material. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Ci…