Wyoming

WYOMING
Fired Wyoming librarian hopes $700,000 settlement deters conservative lawmakers. They say it won’t.

by Wyofile
2 days ago

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By Andrew Graham

The Gillette librarian who this week settled a lawsuit against Campbell County over her July 2023 firing for a $700,000 payment says she hopes Wyoming lawmakers take note of the hefty sum. … Terri Lesley sued in April, alleging the Campbell County Public Library System Board of Trustees violated her First Amendment right to free speech and dismissed her in retaliation for her opposition to efforts by local conservatives to control where LGBTQ-centered books appeared in the library.

“My hope is that this will be a deterrent,” Lesley told WyoFile on Thursday, “that we can shut down all these censorship efforts in Wyoming and beyond.” … But two Wyoming Freedom Caucus lawmakers who want the Legislature to weigh in on library materials statewide were quick to dismiss the idea that the hefty settlement should serve as a warning. The settlement does not include an admission of guilt by the county or trustees, they said, and is a separate matter from their legislative efforts.

The lawsuit Lesley settled this week was one of two she’s brought since her firing, with the second coming against members of a family, the Bennetts, who had prominently advocated for her removal as library director. … That lawsuit remains ongoing. Both suits were filed in federal court.

The Gillette News Record broke the story Wednesday and it quickly became a national news story. That news came just days ahead of a pivotal legislative committee hearing in Wyoming’s ongoing political debate over who should control access to library books. Lawmakers on the Joint Judiciary Committee will vote Monday on whether to bring a bill to the 2026 legislative session that would impose steep fines on public libraries and schools that leave books containing sexual material in places accessible to minors.

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