Federal Judge in Tallahassee Sides with Escambia County School Board over Book Removal

Loving Penguins Lose as Federal Judge Backs School Board's Ban of 'And Tango Makes Three'

A federal judge this week rejected a challenge to a 2023 decision by the Escambia County School Board to remove the book “And Tango Makes Three” from school libraries, ruling the move did not violate First Amendment rights. “And Tango Makes Three,” which tells the story of two male penguins who raised a penguin chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo, has become a prominent part of a debate in recent years about removing or restricting access to bo…

Federal judge in Tallahassee sides with Escambia County School Board over book removal

The school board removed a children’s book called “And Tango Makes Three” from its school libraries. The book follows two male penguins who adopt and raise Tango, a penguin chick.

Judge: Escambia County did not violate First Amendment by removing same-sex penguin book

Courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. (Photo by Michael Moline/Florida Phoenix)Escambia County did not violate students’ First Amendment rights in keeping from them a book about two male penguins raising a chick together, a federal judge found this week.  In a suit between the authors of the book and the Escambia County School Board, Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor sided with the county.  The suit fo…

Escambia School Board wins 'And Tango Makes Three' book ban challenge

The Escambia County lawsuit alleged the book was targeted for its depictions of same-sex parents raising a child.

Federal judge backs removal of penguin children’s book by Florida school board

A federal judge this week rejected a challenge to the removal of the book “And Tango Makes Three” from Escambia school libraries, ruling the move did not violate First Amendment rights.

Federal judge backs Escambia school board over removal of 'Tango' book

The judge rejected First Amendment arguments raised by the authors of "And Tango Makes Three," adding the school board "simply decided students wanting this particular book will have to get it elsewhere.”