The Arkansas librarian who was fired for resisting book censorship is the target of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU

Little Rock, Arkansas – On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of a librarian from Arkansas who was fired for opposing attempts to limit the public’s access to specific books.

The complaint was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas on behalf of Patty Hector, the former director of the Saline County Library, who was fired in 2023 after being singled out by a campaign that took issue with some of the books that were on the shelf. The county will not comment on ongoing legal proceedings, according to Saline County Judge Matt Brumley, who fired Hector and is a defendant in the case.

In a statement issued by the Arkansas Civil Liberties Union, Hector stated, “I could not remain silent as calls for censorship targeted marginalized communities and undermined our library’s mission.” “I refuse to let these actions go unchallenged, even though losing my job was devastating.”

Hector’s complaint comes as Republican-led states have pushed for policies that make it simpler to challenge books in public libraries and schools, and a record number of books have been taken off shelves in recent years. A federal judge has invalidated one such law that Arkansas passed in 2023.

After a group known as the Saline County Republican Women launched a campaign calling for the censoring of books that dealt with issues of race or LGBTQ+ issues, Hector was fired. Hector opposed a decision made by the county’s governing board and quorum court that called for the relocation of these books to locations that are inaccessible to youngsters.

Later, the quorum court passed an ordinance that gave the county judge the right to appoint and fire library employees, removing the library board’s previous powers. Hector was let go by Brumley less than two months later.

The complaint requests that the ordinance that denies the library board the ability to hire and fire employees be declared illegal and charges Brumley and the county with violating Hector’s First Amendment rights.

According to a statement from John Williams, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, “Ms. Hector was fired for defending the right to read freely and for refusing to let political pressure dictate the operation of a public library.” “It is not only unconstitutional to retaliate against her for raising these important issues, but it also violates the values of free speech and information access that public libraries uphold.”

Compensatory damages and back salary are also sought in the claim. The complaint claims that Hector has needed therapy to deal with the psychological pain brought on by the reprisal against her for opposing book censorship.