About Our Clients:
In recent years, an undemocratic wave of censorship and hostility towards minority voices and content has plagued our country as political opportunism has made victims of communities that have long suffered vilification and disenfranchisement at the hands of public officials and institutions. We represent many librarians across the country who have fought, and continue to fight, to ensure our public institutions are welcoming and supportive of all; particularly of those whose voices, ideas, and experiences have been historically suppressed and excluded. We are currently advocating for librarians, educators, and administrators across the county who have been adversely impacted, even terminated from their jobs, simply for standing up against banning books and programming, in favor of free speech, and empowering minority youth.
We have filed charges and lawsuits in multiple states against library districts on behalf of clients whose constitutional guarantees of free speech and association have been violated, and who have been retaliated against for advocating and associating with the LGBTQ+ community and youth of color. Amongst others, we represent Suzette Baker, Brooky Parks, and Terri Lesley – librarians in Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming. Read this CPR article about our first of it’s kind settlement in a librarian case. Also, read this New York Times Magazine article about two of our clients. You can access this story and others about their cases here:
No one should have to experience a violation of their First Amendment speech rights or be subject to retaliation for advocating against discriminatory hostility and practices in their communities, particularly not when their employer is a public institution tasked with protecting and serving all of the community, rather than a politically expedient majority. We strive to support our clients in finding justice not only for themselves but for the many people who depend on them and whose lives they deeply touch every day.
If you or someone you know has fought back against censorship and discrimination while employed at, working with, or attempting to access and use a public institution’s services, please contact us at [email protected] or call us at 303-578-4400. We are here to listen and support you.
