Free Expression

A cable TV program about the importance of protecting the confidentiality of news sources that was produced and moderated by Phil Bevis, the owner of Arundel Books in Seattle, Washington, has won an award from the Alliance for Community Media, an organization committed to expanding public access to electronic media.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and other groups representing booksellers, publishers, writers, and librarians have joined the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) in urging members of the Topeka, Kansas, library board to restore The Joy of Sex and three other sex education books to the open shelves of the library.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has released a new free training guide to help booksellers respond to free speech problems frequently encountered in bookstores. The guide is designed for use in conjunction with the video Scenes From a Bookstore: Free Speech Vignettes, which was screened for booksellers at BookExpo America 2008.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has joined with the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) in criticizing a decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the Miami-Dade County School Board's banning of the children's picture book Vamos a Cuba.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and a group of Oregon booksellers are appealing a recent decision upholding an Oregon law that could restrict the sale of books, magazines, and other material to minors.

After years of legal wrangling, on Tuesday, January 20, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not review a decision by a federal court in Philadelphia striking down the Child Online Protection Act (COPA). The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Powell's Books, and A Different Light Bookstores were among the plaintiffs that challenged the constitutionality of the law in a case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. "It was a long wait, but it was worth it," said ABFFE President Chris Finan.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has expressed concern about a federal judge's recent decision upholding an Oregon law that could restrict the sale of books, magazines, and other material to minors.

On Tuesday, December 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit established important restrictions on the power of the federal government to impose gag orders on recipients of National Security Letters (NSLs). Currently, the recipient of an NSL cannot challenge a gag order for one year, and the chances for success are limited by a provision of the law that requires judges to regard as "conclusive" government assertions that secrecy is necessary to protect national security.

Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, has been elected to serve as the 2009 chair of Media Coalition, the trade association dedicated to defending the First Amendment rights of publishers, booksellers, librarians, and recording, motion picture, and video game producers, and recording, video, and video game retailers in the U.S.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is asking booksellers to complete a short, online survey about Banned Books Week activities and information.