U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks struck down two portions of the law, passed by the Arkansas legislature last year as Act 372, ruling that the portions of the law were unconstitutional on First and Fourteenth amendment grounds.

Holly Dickson, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, said the law “was an attempt to ‘thought police,’ and this victory over totalitarianism is a testament to the courage of librarians, booksellers and readers who refused to bow to intimidation.”

The law, which threatened imprisonment if librarians or booksellers provided ‘harmful’ content to minors, violates the First Amendment, a federal judge ruled.

Republicans passed the law in 2023, joining other conservative states and counties that have sought to restrict the availability of certain books.