Texas’ Sex-Content Ratings for Books Barred by Federal Judge (1)

A Texas law that would have required book sellers to issue sexual content ratings on books sold to public schools and recall all previously sold titles deemed “sexually explicit” was blocked by a federal judge while a constitutional challenge proceeds.

Book People Inc.—the state’s largest independent bookstore—and groups of publishers and authors are likely to succeed on their claims that the law would violate their First Amendment rights, Judge Alan D. Albright said in an order filed Monday.

The plaintiffs sued various state officials in their challenge to H.B. 900, the Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources Act. The law ...