DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Iowa can enforce a new law restricting certain books and subjects in schools, overturning an earlier decision that halted the law.

The law was passed by Iowa lawmakers in 2023 and contains three main provisions: banning books depicting sexual acts, banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity through seventh grade, and requiring educators to inform parents if their children request to use different pronouns .

Nathan Maxwell, an attorney at Lambda Legal, one of the groups challenging the law, expressed concern about its impact.

The state hasn’t really produced much guidance for schools to understand exactly how to implement the law, Maxwell said. “All of these schools seem to be getting the message that the intent of the law was to silence and erase LGBTQ identities from schools. It was clear to many school districts that books with only queer content and no overt sex acts also needed to be pulled from the shelves.

An investigation by the Des Moines Register found that schools have already removed many books in response to the law, including popular titles like Twilight and classics like The Handmaid’s Tale and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds praised the appeals court’s decision, saying in a press release, “The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit confirmed what we already knew – it should be up to parents to decide when and if sexually explicit books are appropriate for their children.”

Critics, including Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and the Iowa State Education Association, argue that the law infringes on free speech and could have a negative impact on LGBTQ+ students. They plan to continue legal challenges to the law.

The law is due to take effect in about three weeks and requires schools to adapt their libraries and curricula to comply with the new rules.

The case will return to the district court for further proceedings as opponents try to block the law once again.