Two anti-censorship advocates are suing Lafayette Consolidated Government and the chair of the Lafayette Library Board of Control on allegations of First Amendment and open meetings law violations.
Lynette Meía and Melanie Brevis, co-founders of Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, allege that Robert Judge, chair of the Library Board, unlawfully restricts protected speech by silencing individuals who express viewpoints he disagrees with and threatening the public with criminal prosecution.
In January, Brevis was escorted out of a Board of Control meeting by police at Judge’s order.
For several years, Lafayette has been the scene of high-profile clashes over library material. The board’s monthly meetings often devolve into chaos, which puts the board at risk of violating Louisiana’s open meetings law.
“It feels like over time, the board of control, specifically Robert Judge, have slowly been eating away at our First Amendment rights,” Mejía said in an interview. “The First Amendment right to free speech is the most fundamental right we have as American citizens. For him to feel like he can infringe upon that right for anybody… is just wrong.”
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Anti-censorship advocates sue Lafayette library board chair over First Amendment violations
