Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLUT7V-rR_s
Sources:
Idaho lawmakers said last year when they passed House Bill 710 Idaho House Bill 710 was passed by the legislature and signed into law in 2024, establishing restrictions on library materials deemed harmful to minors — Idaho Legislature
The law lets any parent in the state sue a library for 250 dollars plus damages if their kid accesses something the statute calls harmful to minors HB 710 creates a private right of action allowing parents to sue libraries for $250 in statutory damages plus actual damages if a minor obtains access to material deemed harmful to minors — Authors Guild
The definition is so broad it sweeps in books that have been on high school reading lists for 50 years Librarians have warned the statute’s broad definition of harmful material could apply to widely taught literary classics and commonly assigned school reading — The Guardian
The enforcement mechanism isn’t the state — it’s private lawsuits The law is enforced through private civil lawsuits rather than state action, putting the compliance and litigation burden directly on individual libraries — Idaho Capital Sun
Donnelly, Idaho — population around 250 The Donnelly Public Library serves the small rural town of Donnelly, Idaho, with a population of roughly 250 residents — NPR
They don’t have the square footage to build a walled-off adult section, and one lawsuit, even a dumb one, would end them Small Idaho libraries lack both the physical space to segregate materials into adults-only sections and the legal budget to defend against lawsuits under the new law — Idaho Capital Sun
They banned everyone under 18 from the library The Donnelly Public Library board voted to bar anyone under 18 from entering the library as its compliance response to HB 710 — NPR