The Rutherford County Library Board fired library system director Dr. Luanne James in an 8-3 vote Monday. The vote follows James’ refusal to relocate 132 children’s books to the adult section of the library, something she characterized as a “clear act of viewpoint discrimination.”
The dramatic special-called meeting saw hundreds of demonstrators — both for and against the removal of books, and for and against James’ employment — fill the Rutherford County Commission chambers. Many supporters of James sported purple Rutherford County Library Alliance shirts, while those in support of board Chair Cody York largely wore white.
Supporters of Rutherford County Library director Luanne James, March 30, 2026
Board members Allison Belt, Lynn Reynolds and Angela Frederick voted to retain James after she took a stand against the board’s March 16 decision to move the titles to the adult section of the library. Many of the books in question have LGBTQ themes and characters. Some were targeted for “promot[ing] gender confusion,” while others were flagged for “female empowerment discussions” or “classroom discussions of book bans and censorship.”
“I will not comply with the Board’s decision to relocate these books,” James wrote in a March 18 letter to the board. “Doing so would violate the First Amendment right of all citizens of Rutherford County and myself. Consequently, I would compromise my professional obligation to oppose government-mandated viewpoint discrimination.”
Protests over the state’s ‘age-appropriateness review’ directive flared up at a recent Rutherford County Library System meeting
James’ firing comes after an ongoing months-long debate about the fate of library books following a statewide “age-appropriate” review ordered by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office late last year.
In December, James requested whistleblower protections, alleging that York pressured her to begin targeting books for removal, requested private patron data and demanded to review the response to a public records request before allowing the records and responses be released. York denies those allegations.
As part of the vote, the board approved the executive committee, along with Reynolds, to appoint an interim executive director to ensure that the library continues to operate during the hiring process for a new director. But questions remain for both librarians and board members on how Monday’s firing could impact future book restrictions and the ideology of the next permanent director.
“It’s a question I’ve tried to get answered,” board member Belt tells the Scene. “I don’t know what happens next, and I think knowing what happens next is a really important part of making decisions today, and that seems like a step we might have skipped.”
“I stand by our librarians,” says Belt.
Prior to James’ termination, the board voted to hire attorney Larry Crain, who specializes in constitutional and civil rights cases, as outside counsel. Some of Crain’s notable cases have involved religious institutions or individuals, and according to his firm’s website, he seeks to “provide legal guidance from a Biblically-informed perspective.”
Reynolds slammed York’s recruitment of Crain, saying, “Here we are considering a lawyer whose only point of view is white Christian nationalism.“
Following the meeting, York declined to comment on James’ firing.
Rutherford County Library Alliance vice president Keri Lambert (left) confronts library board members and supporters of Cody York, March 30, 2026
Public Comment
“By moving these books to the adult section, you're making it astronomically more difficult for the kids of Rutherford County to discover them and become leaders themselves,” Tennessee children’s and young adult author Christina Soontornvat said during the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, adding, “We are in a reading crisis in this country.”
“[James] is so dedicated to the Constitution and the freedom to read that she's willing to lose her job over it,” said Soontornvat. “This is the type of public servant that we all need right now.”
Dr. Beverly Burke spoke of her time growing up in Mississippi in the 1950s and ’60s, when Jim Crow laws oppressed Black Americans throughout the South.
“How will your words and actions look when the civil rights struggles of this era are written in history?” Burke asked the board.
“You are here, each one [of you], for such a time as this — divine appointments,” said commenter Caleb Tidwell. “More than ever, this community needs strong leaders.”
“The evil that we're striving to protect our children from appears to be present, not only in books in our public libraries, but also in the people who manage them,” commenter Matt Giffin said. “Someone like Ms. James, who apparently cannot and should not be allowed to serve in a position of authority over our libraries any longer. The appeals that we've heard at previous meetings and tonight to alleged First Amendment rights have proven to be, in reality, appeals to godlessness.”
Giffin called the books in question “perverse.”
Rutherford County Library Board member Lynn Reynolds voices her frustrations during a special-called meeting, March 30, 2026
James Speaks
James sat alone throughout the meeting and spoke only once, saying, “All I’m going to say is that I stand by my decision. I will not change my mind.”
James was quickly escorted out of the commission chambers by several Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office deputies as the room exploded in shouts of “Shame!” and chants of “We stand with Luanne!” by free speech advocates.
Attorney Chuck Mangelsdorf issued the following statement on behalf of James to reporters following the meeting:
“I'm disappointed that I lost my job as Director of the County Library System. I lost it for doing exactly what librarians are supposed to do — protect the rights of all community members to access books and information. Public libraries are community forums serving the entire community, not just those who share the loudest voice or the most restrictive views. Librarians should not be used as a filter for political agendas. I stood up for the right to read, standing for the citizens of Rutherford County. I believe my firing is unlawful, an act of viewpoint discrimination. This action hurts library patrons, not just the librarians. I've worked throughout my professional career to gain the knowledge, experience and trust to become a library director. This trust compels me to fight for the freedom Rutherford County read freely. This includes the right of young people to access books and ideas and to resist an order to essentially hide books in the library.”
Mangelsdorf said they are currently exploring James’ legal options, adding, “Tonight, the First Amendment's been violated three ways to Sunday by the board.”
Supporters of Rutherford County Library Board Chair Cody York applaud a public speaker, March 30, 2026
Librarians and Library Advocates React
“While I am not surprised by the decision to terminate our library director, I could not be more disappointed in the board for ignoring the actual law in favor of their own personal opinions and political ambitions,” Rutherford County Library Alliance vice president Keri Lambert said in a statement following the meeting.
One Rutherford County librarian, speaking to the Scene on the condition of anonymity, says library staff members are nervous about the uncertainty of what James’ firing will mean for further book restrictions, and also about who James’ replacement may be.
“I am angry and demoralized,” says the librarian. “I am also proud to work for such an incredible director. With grace and strength she did what any librarian would and should do. You protect the books and the patrons’ rights — all patrons.”
