A Conversation with Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

In October 2025, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett sent out a letter to all 181 public libraries calling for an immediate age appropriateness review of all materials in their juvenile/children's sections. While some libraries complied, others had questions about censorship and first amendment issues. In the wake of some school districts banning classic literature and and books about gender identity, some public libraries were looking for futher guidance. "The goal of the letter, Secretary Hargett stated, "was to make sure our book collections were curated properly according to their own community standards and be able to provide a report back that they did do that." The deadline stated in the letter is January 19, 2026. With about half the libraries sending in their lists, Secretary Hargett updates what are some of the books on those lists and what libraries are going to do with them. Secretary Hargett also answers questions about the 2026 election year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.