A federal judge on Tuesday put a hold on an Iowa law that says schools cannot carry books that depict sex acts.  

District Judge Stephen Locher placed a temporary block on the ban, saying there were “several dozen unconstitutional applications” of the law regarding books with “undeniable political, artistic, literary, and/or scientific value," listing examples including "1984," "Brave New World" and "The Fault in Our Stars." 

This is the second time Locher has blocked the law, also doing so shortly after it was signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in 2023. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, overturned that ruling and made the law enforceable for the 2024-2025 school year.  

“The bottom line is that the unconstitutional applications of the book restrictions in Senate File 496 far exceed the constitutional applications of those restrictions under both legal standards the Court believes are applicable,” Locher said this week.  

A suit challenging the law was brought by the Iowa State Education Association and multiple best-selling authors, including Jodi Picoult.

The decision will likely be appealed again.  

“As a mom, I know how important it is to keep schools a safe place for kids to learn and grow. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about what materials their kids have access to when they’re not around. This common sense law makes certain that the books kids have access to in school classrooms and libraries are age-appropriate,” said Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R). 

“I’m going to keep on fighting to uphold our law that protects schoolchildren and parental rights,” Bird added.