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The Kentucky Judge who signed the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death has been voted out from office.
Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Mary Shaw lost her reelection bid to Louisville native Tracy Evette Davis. According to the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, Davis received 51% of votes with 100,906, while Shaw received 49% with 98,503.
Shaw was a Circuit Court Staff Attorney for more than 16 years, but drew sharp criticism for signing the March 2020 no-knock warrant that ultimately led to the death of Breonna Taylor.
Four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department officers were arrested and charged by the FBI in August 2022 for their role in the death of Breonna Taylor. However, the charges were not for killing the 26-year-old emergency medical technician. They were for charged trying to “cover up their unlawful conduct after Ms. Taylor was killed,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a Department of Justice press conference.
“Earlier today I spoke with the family of Breonna Taylor. This morning they were informed that the Justice Department has charged four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department officers with federal crimes related to Ms. Taylor’s death,” said Garland.
AG Merrick Garland announces bombshell charges against police officers involved in the search warrant that led to the killing of Breonna Taylor.
He says defendants “took steps to cover up their unlawful conduct” and “met in a garage where they agreed to tell … a false story.” pic.twitter.com/nEuvdkbJfl
— The Recount (@therecount) August 4, 2022
Judge Shaw blamed “false narratives” for the election results, saying “I was disappointed by the results, but not surprised as there are so many false narratives surrounding the signing of the warrant which have circulated,” she told the Courier Journal.
Former Louisville Police Officer Kelly Hanna Goodlett pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to the search warrant. Goodlett acknowledged that she helped another Louisville Police Officer and their supervisor obtain a search warrant for Taylor’s home, despite knowing that the officers lacked probable cause to do so.
Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Tracy Evette Davis wins with support from mother of Breonna Taylor
Judge Davis was endorsed by Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, who sponsored a fundraiser for Davis earlier this month.
“Everybody knows what happened March the 13th (2020) with Breonna,” Palmer said, according to WAVE News. “But the more you learned about the story and the more you learned what parts people played, you had to know why those people did what they did, or how did they end up in those positions and not care about the job that they were doing.”
According to her campaign website, Tracy opened her own private practice in downtown Louisville and has practiced for the last eight years throughout the entire state of Kentucky in District, Circuit Criminal and Civil, and Family Court.