On September 29, The Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic hosted a screening for the Cornell University community of The Librarians, a documentary tracing how the Krause List—which targeted 850 books in Texas libraries, mostly centered on race and LGBTQIA+ stories—sparked a wave of book bans across the country. Following the screening at Cornell Cinema in Willard Straight Hall, clinic attorneys and a librarian client on the front lines discussed the First Amendment Clinic’s lawsuit challenging an Idaho book-ban statute—and the legal, constitutional, and community stakes of this escalating threat to the freedom to read.

The First Amendment Clinic filed suit in Idaho federal court in February 2025 against the Idaho attorney general, county prosecutors, and others challenging the state’s law, HB 710, which restricts public and school libraries from making constitutionally protected literary works available to minors. The complaint alleges the law is vague, overbroad, and viewpoint discriminatory in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

As The Librarians makes clear, HB 710 has drastically altered the operations of some Idaho public and school libraries, especially in small or rural communities. Clinic client Sherry Scheline, director of the Donnelly Public Library, has been forced to close her library’s doors to minors to avoid running afoul of the vaguely worded statute. The law has also prevented publishers and authors from reaching one of their core audiences—young readers.

“HB710 forced us to limit library access to adults only, which was heartbreaking,” said Scheline. “Until the Cornell First Amendment Clinic and co-counsel came to my aid, I felt totally alone trying to both navigate the statute’s requirements and fight back against the unconstitutional ban. The clinic has been an invaluable resource to us—we simply could not have afforded to mount this fight without their help.”

The plaintiffs have sought to enjoin enforcement of the law and end the state’s effort to silence voices it disapproves of in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

“It is so important to keep book banning in the spotlight and raise community awareness,” said Daniela del Rosario Wertheimer, Stanton Fellow at the First Amendment Clinic. “Our case may involve an Idaho statute, but this very real threat to democracy affects every American. Watching the amazing film The Librarians really helped drive that point home and reminded us why we fight so hard to protect free speech.”