The Institute for Justice (IJ) has expressed its condemnation of the city of Navasota, Texas, and its municipal court for issuing a fine and an arrest warrant for Kaylee Morgan, a resident of Grimes County who failed to return library books on time. The non-profit public interest law firm labelled the actions as "grossly inappropriate and unconstitutional."

In an IJ press release, the firm asserted that the fine and arrest warrant violated the U.S. Constitution, leading to a stay-at-home mother of five being convicted of a misdemeanor crime. The IJ pointed to the Eighth Amendment, which serves to protect Americans from abusive fines and fees.

"The constitution prohibits fines that are grossly disproportionate to an offense," said IJ Senior Attorney Ari Bargil in the press release. "Here, it’s quite obvious what a proportionate penalty would have been: $60 to cover the cost of the two overdue books. Instead, Kaylee was threatened with jail time and assessed fines, fees, and related costs of nearly $600. That’s almost ten times the cost of the books, and an eye-popping sum for a harmless violation."

The press release also cited a KRPC 2 news report stating that Morgan, who homeschools her children, had borrowed several books from the Navasota Public Library in March 2023. Due to complications with her pregnancy, she was late in returning these books but eventually did so.

As per the press release, Morgan discovered about her $570 fine while renewing her driver’s license. Last week she pleaded guilty to violating Navasota’s library ordinance in front of the Navasota Municipal Court.

Morgan's GoFundMe page reveals that she has raised over $3,700 to help cover these fees along with legal assistance costs. "I’m just a mom with 5 kids trying to homeschool and spread kindness. This is unjust. Please spread the word," Morgan wrote in her fundraising message.