NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a law on Monday to prohibit public and school libraries in the northeastern U.S. state from banning books and to enshrine protections against civil and criminal charges for librarians who comply with the law.
Murphy signed the bill at the Princeton Public Library, joined by advocates for intellectual freedom and the bill's legislative sponsors, in the context of Republican-leaning states that have prohibited certain books in recent years.
New Jersey becomes the latest Democrat-led state to enact a ban on book bans, joining Illinois and Minnesota.
"The Freedom to Read Act cements New Jersey's role on the forefront of preventing book bans and protecting the intellectual freedom of our educators and students. Across the nation, we have seen attempts to suppress and censor the stories and experiences of others," Murphy said.
"I'm proud to amplify the voices of our past and present, as there is no better way for our children to prepare for the future than to read freely," he said.
Under the law, boards of education and governing boards of public libraries in the state are barred from excluding books because of the origin, background, or views of the material or of its authors; and are prevented from censoring library material based on a disagreement with a viewpoint, idea, or concept, or solely because an individual finds certain content offensive, unless they are restricting access to developmentally inappropriate material for certain age groups.
The law also requires local school boards and governing bodies of public libraries to establish policies for curation and removal of library materials, including a system of review to address concerns over library materials.
