Industry & Advocacy News

Authors Guild Celebrates Passage of Rhode Island Freedom to Read Act

Book Banning Free Speech

June 24, 2025

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The Authors Guild celebrates Rhode Island passage of the Freedom to Read Act by a decisive vote in both the state House and Senate. This landmark legislation represents a significant victory in the fight against book banning and censorship nationwide. 

In March, we submitted testimony to the Rhode Island Senate Education Committee in strong support of this critical bill, which provides essential protections for authors, publishers, educators, and librarians against unconstitutional censorship efforts. 

The Freedom to Read Act establishes vital safeguards that will: 

• Protect authors’ rights: Authors, publishers, and booksellers now have the right to sue government entities that engage in censorship, with potential damages of up to $5,000 per censored work .
• Shield library professionals: Librarians and educators receive immunity from civil and criminal liability for good-faith actions performed in their professional duties.
• Establish clear standards: The law prohibits censoring materials based solely on the origin, background, or views of the author, consistent with longstanding Supreme Court precedent.
• Ensure due process: Professional standards and clear procedures replace vague and arbitrary removal decisions.

A Critical Victory at a Crucial Time 

This victory comes at a crucial moment when book bans across the country are expanding at an alarming pace. During the 2023-2024 school year, there were 10,046 instances of books banned nationwide, a dramatic 200 percent rise over the previous school year. Since 2021, close to 16,000 instances of book bans in public schools have been recorded—numbers not seen since the McCarthy era of the 1950s. 

States are now passing laws creating statewide ban lists, and titles about LGBTQIA+ people and characters, people and characters of color, and books with sex-related content are overwhelmingly targeted. Rhode Island’s Freedom to Read Act stands as a powerful counter to this nationwide assault on intellectual freedom. We encourage other states to follow Rhode Island’s example in defending intellectual freedom.”