The ACLU of Utah has released a reading list featuring 37 books that are currently facing bans or challenges in Utah schools, according to a report published September 29. The organization is using the list to encourage Utahns to join its Banned Book Club to protect the right to read.
The ACLU of Utah filed a federal lawsuit, Vonnegut v. Utah, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah on January 6, 2026. The lawsuit argues that the statewide ban provisions of HB 29 are unconstitutionally overbroad and violate the First Amendment. The defendants include the Utah State Board of Education, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, and three school districts. The legal action seeks to have the court declare the provisions of HB 29 facially unconstitutional and order the immediate return of removed books to school shelves.
The litigation follows the passage of two specific laws. In 2022, the Utah Legislature passed HB 374, the Sensitive Materials in Schools Act, which prohibited books with pornographic or indecent content from K–12 public school libraries and classrooms. Following this, book bans in schools across Utah increased from 12 during the 2021–2022 school year to 281 the following year. The targeted titles were described as overwhelmingly written by and about Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people.
In 2024, the Legislature passed HB 29, which created a mechanism where if three school districts ban a book for containing objectively sensitive material, a statewide removal from every K-12 public school library in Utah is automatically triggered. HB 29 took effect on July 1, 2024, and retroactively banned 13 books statewide. Currently, 36 titles have been banned statewide from every public school in Utah.
The ACLU of Utah notes that book bans are not a new phenomenon, as certain books have historically faced scrutiny for content deemed controversial. This content often involves subjects regarding race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The organization states it remains committed to fighting these bans to uphold the right to learn and the freedom to read for all Utahns.
