MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - The Rutherford County Library System is suddenly without a director after a tense Monday night (3/30/2026) meeting ended with the firing of Dr. Luanne James, who refused to carry out the board’s order to relocate more than 190 children’s books to the adult section. The board voted 8–3 to terminate her contract, bringing months of escalating conflict to a head.

The dispute began when the board deemed a collection of titles “inappropriate” for young readers, citing LGBTQ+ themes, diversity, witches, social justice, and female empowerment. The compromise, board members said, was not to remove the books but to move them where only adults could browse them. Parents who wanted their children to access the titles could still check them out on their behalf.

James pushed back, arguing in a letter last week that the relocation violated the First Amendment and amounted to viewpoint discrimination. She said she was open to further discussion, but not to enforcing what she viewed as an unconstitutional directive. After her firing, she released a statement through her attorney: “Librarians should not be used as a filter for political agendas. I stood up for the right to read. I believe my firing is an unlawful act of viewpoint discrimination.”

Board Chair Cody York declined to comment after the meeting but said earlier that a director cannot refuse to carry out a duly adopted board decision. Public records show the board hired outside legal counsel ahead of the vote, turning to Brentwood attorney Larry Crain for guidance on the employment matter.

The debate has unfolded alongside statewide pressure. Secretary of State Tre Hargett recently asked libraries to conduct an “age-appropriateness” review of children’s materials, referencing new federal and state standards, including President Trump’s executive order on gender ideology. Hargett later said the review was never mandatory and expressed surprise that Rutherford County shut down its libraries for a week to complete it.

Residents packed Monday’s meeting, offering sharply divided views. Some praised the board for “protecting children.” Others accused members of “steamrolling over the First Amendment.” Supporters of James said she refused to curate a political narrative and upheld the core mission of a public library.

With James out, the system faces immediate questions: who will lead it, what will happen to the more than 190 disputed books, and how future decisions about children’s materials will be made. The larger question still hangs in the air—who decides what belongs on the shelf.