North Dakota Gov. Strikes Down Conservative Bill Restricting Books For Minors

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) blocked a bill that would have required libraries to put books that feature sexually explicit material in areas that are “not easily accessible” to minors.

The bill, which would have applied to public libraries and libraries at public schools, also threatens prosecution against those that don’t comply.

A two-thirds vote in favor of the bill in both the state’s Senate and the House could override Armstrong’s veto. But it passed narrowly in both chambers with neither side of the legislature hitting the two-thirds threshold — by a 27–20 vote in the Senate in February and a 49–45 vote in the House earlier this month.

“While I recognize the concerns that led to its introduction, Senate Bill 2307 represents a misguided attempt to legislate morality through overreach and censorship,” Armstrong wrote in a Tuesday letter explaining his decision. “The bill imposes vague and punitive burdens on professionals and opens the door to a host of unintended and damaging consequences for our communities.”

“In the last 10 years, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Of Mice and Men, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Kite Runner, 1984, and To Kill a Mockingbird have all been targeted by obscenity laws,” Armstrong added. “I don’t pretend to know what the next literary masterpiece is going to be. But I want it available in the library. And if a parent doesn’t think it is age-appropriate for their child, then that is a parenting decision. It does not require a whole-of-government approach and $ 1.1 million of taxpayer money.”

The move comes as many conservatives across the country, including President Donald Trump, attack libraries and academic freedom.

It also follows former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s decision in 2023 to veto a bill that threatened criminal prosecution against librarians and aimed to require them to screen all books in the libraries for sexually explicit content. He did, however, sign a bill into law removing books with explicit material from children’s sections in libraries.

North Dakota Library Association President Andrea Placher said in a statement that the association was “very pleased” about Armstrong’s veto.

“Libraries in North Dakota are experiencing increasing usage each year, with more visitors, program attendees, and library card registrations,” Placher wrote. “The North Dakota Library Association firmly believes that SB 2307 is an unnecessary bill that would significantly hinder the operations of libraries in the state. All libraries have established policies and procedures that make this bill irrelevant.”

By contrast, proponents of the bill argue that it is necessary to “protect” children from pornography.

“We are harming our children, that’s all there is to it,” Republican State Sen. Keith Boehm, a sponsor of the bill, argued in a committee hearing, according to The New York Times. “The bill is all about protecting kids from this material. It has nothing against adults,” he added.

“To fight this battle against the pornographers, pedophiles and groomers, we must cover this issue comprehensively,” Boehm also said in another instance, according to North Dakota Monitor. “Not every library in the state has this material, but there is enough to support this legislation.”

Rep. Ben Koppelman, another sponsor of the bill, said he is “confident that most red-state governors would have signed that bill, and we’ll just be back next time around to do it again,” according to The Associated Press.