The Cases

Laura Mallory attempted to remove the Harry Potter series from Gwinnett County Public Schools in not one but several cases which took place between 2005 and 2007. In this section, you will find information regarding the original complaint, as well as each of Mallory’s subsequent appeals to the school system, the county, and the Georgia State Board of Education. You will also find information on Laura Mallory herself, in addition to the local community’s response to the case and more widespread internet backlash. By documenting the challenging of Harry Potter in Gwinnett County, we hope to highlight the following questions: Why are books challenged? How do these challenges directly affect those involved, especially students and educators? Should individual religious beliefs play a role in deciding what books are used in the classroom? What unique benefits and challenges do more universal internet access play in the censorship debate? This project, as it tracks the development of the Mallory case from start to finish, is our attempt at an answer.