Local bookstore challenges Gwinnett County jail over mail policy, citing First Amendment violations

By: Maya Homan

Outlets: Georgia Recorder

Published: April 10, 2026

Words: 501

Last Updated: 3 months, 3 weeks ago

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An Athens-based bookstore is challenging a Gwinnett County jail policy that bars independent booksellers from mailing books to prisoners.

In oral arguments presented Thursday in federal court, attorneys for Avid Bookshop claimed that a jail policy allowing shipments only from certain publishers and two major retailers violates the bookstore’s First Amendment right to communicate with jail residents.

The lawsuit was filed against Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor and Jail Commander Benjamin Haynes in 2023, …

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