The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the Department of Defense’s school system for children of military families, asserting that the removal of race- and gender-related books and curricula violated students’ First Amendment protections against government censorship.
The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in northeast Virginia said the Department of Defense Education Activity nixed educational materials in line with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January.
Trump's order forbids the school system from “promoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating ... un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories” connected to race and gender.
Books ranging from Harper Lee's “ To Kill a Mockingbird ” and Khaled Hosseini's “ The Kite Runner ” to “ Hillbilly Elegy ” by Vice President JD Vance have since been stripped from some schools' library shelves, according to the ACLU. Authorities within the school system also purged curricular materials such as a chapter on sexuality and gender for an Advanced Placement psychology course, and readings about immigration for fourth- and fifth-grade classes, according to the suit.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 12 students from six families who attend schools in Virginia, Kentucky, Italy and Japan.
“I have three daughters, and they, like all children, deserve access to books that both mirror their own life experiences and that act as windows that expose them to greater diversity,” Natalie Tolley, a plaintiff on behalf of her three children, said in a statement published by the ACLU of Virginia.
Outside of changes to the department's prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs, there have also been shifts at military colleges and universities. Roughly 380 books were removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library in April.
Officials have also been told to assess the stacks at Army and Air Force libraries to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
A spokesperson with the Defense Department's school system said the institution does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Commander-in-Chief trophy presentation to the Navy Midshipman football team in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
