August 30, 2022
Comment on Virginia Beach Free Expression Victory from Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers
“We are gratified to see Virginia Beach Circuit Court Judge Baskervill’s orders today dismissing obscenity petitions against two books, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas. The orders are a significant and unequivocal victory for the free speech rights of readers, authors, publishers, booksellers, and libraries. Alongside challenges from the authors and publishers of the books and other interested parties, AAP joined with authors, booksellers, and library organizations to challenge the petitions in court and call attention to their fatal legal and constitutional defects. In today’s order, Judge Baskervill agreed with every single one of the challengers’ arguments, vacating the earlier order to show cause and dismissing the case for lack of jurisdiction, holding that the books are not obscene, and finding the law unconstitutional as a prior restraint and for violating due process protections.”