Judge Carlos Mendoza, a federal judge in Florida, has struck down major parts of the state’s book ban law, ruling that it violates the First Amendment. Many award-winning books were affected by the ban such as The Color Purple, Cloud Atlas, The Freedom Writers Diary, Looking for Alaska, Slaughterhouse-Five, Shout, The Handmaid’s Tale, Beloved, and The Bluest Eye. Judge Mendoza found the state’s book ban unconstitutionally overbroad, calling it an “I know it when I see it” test that threatened free speech. In his order, Judge Mendoza wrote: “None of these books are obscene. The restrictions placed on these books are thus unreasonable in light of the purpose of school libraries. And if so, the presence of these books in school libraries certainly does not materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school.” #trumpadministration #florida #bookban #donaldtrump #thecolorpurple