jun 25, 1982 - Island Trees School District v. Pico

Description:

The Island Trees Union Free School District's Board of Education banned certain books from the junior high's library for being "anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy." Steven Pico, through Francis Pico, brought the case to court. The school board won in federal district court, but lost at U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the school board couldn't remove the books from the library just because they disagreed with the content.

This court case took place while America and the Soviet Union were still in the Cold War. Fear of things being anti-American would come about during this period more than others and some may want to silence things that are anti-American and anti-Christian. Despite the fear of these things, this court decision showed that just because you didn't like the content of some books, didn't mean you could censor it. It proved that information and free speech in libraries was more important than exposure to sensitive topics.

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