Penguin Random House and 5 authors are suing a Florida school board over book bans

Penguin Random House, the largest publisher in the U.S., has sued a Florida county school board over its decisions to ban and restrict access to books. Joining the lawsuit are five authors, two parents of students and the advocacy group PEN America. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A new federal lawsuit alleges that recent decisions by officials in a Florida county to ban and restrict access to books in school libraries violates constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection under the law.

Over the past year, officials in western Florida's Escambia County have banned more than a dozen books in the county school district's libraries and classrooms in response to a wave of challenges by conservative teachers and parents.