Tennessee Republican senator wants to change book-ban law

By: Sam Stockard

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: June 10, 2026

Words: 547

Last Updated: 1 day, 20 hours ago


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Republican state Sen. Richard Briggs says Tennessee’s library book review law needs to be cleaned up to stop groundbreaking books such as “Roots” from being taken off school shelves.

Briggs, a veteran Knoxville lawmaker, said this week he isn’t opposed to “initial” reviews of books as part of the state’s “Age-Appropriate Materials Act,” which was passed in 2022 at the request of Gov. Bill Lee and was updated in 2024.

“But then if somebody thinks …

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