School allowed to keep Harry Potter books

A suburban Atlanta judge today upheld the decision of Georgia school officials to keep the best-selling Harry Potter books in school libraries in a county where one mother had lobbied to have them removed.

Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Ronnie Batchelor issued the ruling after hearing arguments from attorneys for the school system and from Laura Mallory, who wants the books removed. Mallory was not represented by an attorney at the hearing.

Afterward, Mallory said she may take her case to federal court.

Mallory has tried to ban the books from Gwinnett County school library shelves since August 2005, arguing that the popular fiction series is an attempt to indoctrinate children in witchcraft.

School board members have said the books are good tools to encourage children to read and to spark creativity and imagination.

In May 2006, the county denied Mallory’s request. In December, the state Board of Education upheld the county’s decision.

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books, published by London-based Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, tell stories of children with magic powers.

They have been challenged numerous times since 2000, making them the most challenged texts of the 21st century, according to the American Library Association.