AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas law remains on hold after an appeals court denied a petition to rehear the case.
Last year, booksellers sued the State of Texas over House Bill 900, or the "Reader Act," which requires book vendors to assign ratings to materials sold to public schools based on depictions of or references to sex. The booksellers – including BookPeople in Austin – claimed that it was logistically impossible to comply with HB 900 and that the law's definitions of sexual conduct were vague and open to interpretation.
Meanwhile, supporters of HB 900 say it was meant to protect Texas children from explicit materials.
In January, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling and blocked the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from enforcing the law. The court agreed with the plaintiffs' argument that the rating system would violate their First Amendment rights and would be an undue burden on vendors.
On April 16, in a split vote, the full panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reconsider the case.