On October 10, 2024, the CSU College of Law, in partnership with Freedom to Learn Advocates (FTLA), hosted an all-day conference entitled “Banned Books and Libraries Under Attack: The Fight for Intellectual Freedom in Our Communities.”  The event was generously sponsored by CSU Law Alumnus, and CEO of Overdrive, Steve Potash.

The day’s second panel was about “Legal Advocates Resisting Books Bans: The Courts and Legislation.” The panel featured Mr. Skip Dye, a Senior Vice President from Penguin Random House; Professor Katie Schwartzman, who directs the First Amendment Clinic at Tulane Law School; Ms. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of the American Library Association (ALA)’s Office of Intellectual Freedom; and Rep. Dana Jones of Maryland, who sponsored the first “Freedom to Read Act” in our nation. 

Professor Kalir moderated the panel, which was extremely well attended.