LIVINGSTON — The Livingston Parish Library Board meets Tuesday night in its first get-together since the attorney general filed a lawsuit claiming it violated Louisiana's open meetings law when it met in July and ousted the library system's director.

The board removed Michelle Parish after meeting in secret for two hours. The public had been told that no action would taken during its executive session July 15. 

"The public has the right to know, to observe and to participate in the actions of its government," the attorney general's office said in its lawsuit, which was filed Monday. It says the board misled the public and didn't allow sufficient public comment at the July meeting.

The lawsuit asks that Parrish's dismissal be declared null and void.

Four board members quit following Parrish's ouster, but eventually returned.

After Parrish was let go, the board considered weakening the academic requirements for its next director. Instead of requiring a master's degree in library science, it said any master's degree would do. It eventually tabled the question.

The Livingston library board has had its share of controversy in recent years. In 2022, the system was targeted by complaints that youths could access books with gender- and sex-related themes.