Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico

After several school board members (defendant) attended a conservative conference that circulated a list of "objectionable" books, they discovered ten of those titles in the district's school libraries, ordered them removed for board review, and publicly described the books as anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic. A board-appointed committee recommended returning at least five of the books, but the board rejected that recommendation without explanation and permanently removed nine books, restricting the tenth to parental approval. A group of students (plaintiffs) sued, claiming the removals violated the First Amendment. The district court granted summary judgment to the board, the Second Circuit reversed, and the board sought certiorari.