← All lawsuitsRuling for PlaintiffThe court ruled in favor of the plaintiff (usually the side seeking to restore book access).
1:22-cv-01481-PAB-SBP
ACLU v. Douglas County School District RE-1 (Elizabeth SD)
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado · Colorado
ACLU challenged Elizabeth School District's removal of books from school libraries. Court ruled removals violated First Amendment. All 22+ challenged books ordered reinstated.
Filed
Jun 1, 2022
Decided
Dec 1, 2023
Plaintiff type
aclu
Plaintiff
ACLU of Colorado; parents and students
Defendant
Douglas County School District RE-1 (Elizabeth School District)
Outcome
All challenged books reinstated. Court found removals were motivated by disagreement with ideas, not educational suitability — violating Board of Education v. Pico (1982).
Notes
128 total bans in Elizabeth SD in our DB, 22 resolved as reinstated. Key precedent: court applied Pico's 'motivation' test for book removals.