EveryLibrary Joins Tennessee Coalition Calling for Clarity, Legality, and Respect for the Right to Read in Libraries
Presidential executive orders do not apply to states and do not authorize censorship or collection audits in public libraries.
Today, EveryLibrary joined a broad coalition of library leaders and civil liberties advocates in releasing a public letter to Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. This letter addresses his recent directives to the state’s Regional Library System, which demand full collection reviews for "age-appropriateness" within 60 days.
These directives have already caused fear, confusion, and unnecessary library closures across Tennessee.
As the national political action committee for libraries, EveryLibrary has helped convene and lead this coalition's response. Our message is clear: public libraries cannot and must not be forced into unconstitutional censorship, vague political tests, or destabilizing operational burdens.
Read the full coalition letter (opens PDF) with over 35 organizational endorsers.
The coalition’s letter emphasizes that the Secretary of State’s mandate has already disrupted library operations statewide. Some branches have faced temporary closures, while others have been forced to redirect scarce staff time and resources toward an undefined and legally risky review process. We believe that the Secretary's demand for sweeping "age-appropriateness" reviews violates established First Amendment protections and risks illegal book removals. These reviews impose significant administrative burdens without clear authority or legal justification. Public libraries face contradictory and dangerous pressure: they must comply with ambiguous directives or risk violating both the U.S. Constitution and Tennessee law.
It is illegal to remove books from public libraries simply because some people dislike them. Courts reaffirmed this principle in 2025 in cases like Fayetteville v. Crawford County and Penguin Random House v. Gibson. The Secretary's directives ignore this legal precedent.
Read a deep dive Issue Brief from the EveryLibrary Institute to learn more about how the Secretary of State's order should be interpreted in Tennessee libraries.
The letter also clarifies an important point: The Secretary’s instructions reference President Trump's Executive Order 14168, but presidential executive orders do not apply to states and do not authorize censorship or collection audits in public libraries. Executive orders govern the internal operations of federal agencies and are not a form of legislation. Congress has declined to enact a sweeping book ban law. Multiple courts have already blocked key aspects of EO 14168 for violating First Amendment and equal protection rights (e.g., San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump; Schiff v. Office of Personnel Management). The coalition letter urges the Secretary to discontinue reliance on an order that is currently under legal challenge.
EveryLibrary and our coalition partners call on the Secretary of State to immediately clarify the directives and halt any processes that could lead to unconstitutional censorship or manipulation of library collections. EveryLibrary is proud to stand with our national coalition partners and the newly formed Tennessee Freedom to Read Project to defend libraries and the rights of readers in the Volunteer State.
The full letter is available at https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/TN-SOS-Response-11.24.2025-1.pdf
The Issue Brief from the EveryLibrary Institute is available at https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/limits_tn_sos_shutdown_directive