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.

Two key provisions of Act 372, a law which would allow criminal charges to be pressed against librarians and other book content providers, was declared unconstitutional.