Texas book ban blocked by federal appeals court

TEXAS - A federal appeals court is blocking a controversial Texas law aimed at keeping obscene books out of school libraries.

The Fifth Circuit Court sided with Austin-based store Book People, who sued to stop HB 900 from taking effect.

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The Texas legislature passed the bill last year. It bans books from school libraries that are deemed to be "vulgar, sexually explicit or educationally unsuitable."

It also requires book vendors to rate materials based on depictions of references to sex, before selling them to public school districts.