Former Rutherford County Library Director Files Federal Lawsuit

Former Rutherford County Library director Dr. Luanne James has filed a federal lawsuit against the library system and board alleging First Amendment violations and discrimination and retaliation. James was fired earlier this year after refusing to relocate 132 children’s books to the adult section of the library amid a statewide “age-appropriate review” of public library books.

The 71-page complaint names the Rutherford County Library System and its board of directors as well as several members of the library board as defendants. Among those named is former RCLS Board Chair Cody York, who also works as the Rutherford County government’s chief information officer. The suit alleges York has an “Explicit Animus Against Gay and Transgender People.”

“The decision to fire Ms. James was rooted in Defendants’ animus toward gay, non-binary, and transgender persons and in retaliation against Ms. James for associating with and defending them, as well as for refusing to participate in unlawful discrimination and unconstitutional censorship,” the complaint reads.

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Rutherford County Library Board Fires Director Over Refusal to Restrict Children’s Books

Firing sets the stage for legal battle as Luanne James stands defiant against reclassification of children’s titles

The suit alleges that the defendants violated the First Amendment by restricting the public’s access to certain books in the public library system, and by firing James after she spoke out against the plans to remove books from the children’s and young adult sections of the libraries. 

“When Ms. James refused to adopt or enforce viewpoint-based censorship policies grounded in Defendants’ religious ideology, Defendants revised the Reconsideration Policy and terminated Ms. James in order to impose their religiously motivated agenda in RCLS,” the complaint reads. “These actions were taken to ensure that public library collection and access decisions aligned with and promoted Defendants’ preferred religious beliefs, to the exclusion of others, in violation of the First Amendment.”

The complaint also alleges that the defendants violated the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause by firing James “because of her opposition to sex-based discriminatory practices, her association with and advocacy on behalf of such protected classes [LGBTQ people], and the expectation that she would continue engaging in such protected activities in the future.”

The complaint characterizes the defendants’ actions as a conspiracy to “engage in discrimination, retaliation, obstruction, intimidation, and threats against LGBTQ community members, and Ms. James for associating and advocating for them, in violation of Ms. James’ rights and those of others in their community.”

James is seeking an undisclosed sum, citing loss of pay and benefits, after she was fired just seven months after she took the job and relocated to Murfreesboro from South Carolina. The suit also notes “emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, [and] mental anguish.”

In June, the Greenville, S.C., chapter of PFLAG — a national LGBTQ advocacy group — awarded James the Freedom to Read Award for demonstrating “courage and integrity while protecting the rights of library patrons in this county,” calling the award “well-deserved recognition of her bravery and sacrifice.”

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Public Library Advocates, Publishers Push Back Against State Book Review

Protests over the state’s ‘age-appropriateness review’ directive flared up at a recent Rutherford County Library System meeting

The “age-appropriate review” of library books across the state was spurred by a recommendation from the office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. Hargett tells Scene sister publication the Williamson Scene that the book review is a “closed issue.”

“I think some people blew it up to be more than it was,” Hargett says. “In practically — not every, but practically every county in the state, it was done with very little fanfare, and frankly, in many cases, library directors were telling us, ‘Well, this is kind of the customary course of business for us, that we look at our collections to see what we have and where we should have it.’ You had a couple of counties out there that really kind of blew it up, and frankly at some point it turned into an opportunity to fundraise off of it for certain people, but you can't prevent that. Our job is to try and figure out what’s the right thing to do to make sure that libraries are safe places, and I believe that libraries are safer today than they were.”

Hargett’s fundraising comment is likely a reference to several groups who stood with James and librarians and the public across the state, such as the Rutherford County Library Alliance, a nonprofit that supports county libraries and librarians. 

Nearly two months after James’ firing, RCLA vice president Keri Lambert and communications director Tatiana Silvas were honored with the 2026 PEN/Benenson Courage Award by PEN America, which recognizes “exceptional courage in defending free expression often in the face of personal danger or intense public scrutiny.”

The federal complaint also notes a 2024 settlement by the city of Murfreesboro, the seat of the Rutherford County government, after the city refused to grant an event permit for the 2023 BoroPride Festival. That action that stemmed from an unlawful 2023 “community decency standards” ordinance aimed at banning public drag performances.