Ousted library director wins $475K settlement from Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Commissioners have agreed to pay $475,000 to settle a federal discrimination case filed by former library director Rhea Young, who claimed she was fired for refusing to restrict access to some library publications.

The commissioners court authorized the deal Wednesday after a closed-door session. Young, who ran the county’s library system from 2022 until her firing in January 2025, will get the sum, with $206,797 set aside for attorney’s expenses, according to settlement documents.

Young sued the county last year, saying she was laid off for resisting orders to separate and ban books that addressed LGBTQ+ themes or ideas.

The lone no vote on the settlement came from Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray, who defended the county’s conduct.

“I’m against it, and if it’s up to me, we’re not going to pay one damn dollar on it,” Gray stated. The court was in the right position and I support that view.

“I’m glad it’s over with,” Young said, “but I’m skeptical that the outcome is going to change how county leaders view library oversight.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think with the group of members on the commissioners court right now that it will make them think twice before they fire anybody,” Young said. “They are still doing the same things they were doing when I was there: They are banning literature.

The battle stems back to policy changes that started in 2023, when commissioners demanded the library system boost programming with conservative themes and implement age restrictions on materials considered sexually explicit. In 2024, the county formed a citizen-run book review board, and critics later criticized its processes and choices.

Young was fired in early 2025 after months of controversy over library content and governance. At the time, County Judge Mark Keough said the system needed leadership that reflected the “values of the community” and the direction of the commissioners court.

Community people spoke both for and against Young during the meeting where commissioners voted to remove her. Since her departure, public criticism of library policy has quieted, although Young said she believes that people still underreport problems.

PEN America, an organization that defends free expression, says approximately 6,900 books were banned in the 2024-25 school year in 23 states, as part of broader nationwide fights over access to reading material.

Young said she still stands by her actions as director, despite the court struggle.

“It wasn’t a fun process, but I would do it again,” she said. I would definitely fight for what’s right and make sure that everybody received literature that represented them.”