Justice
Bipartisan bill would clear way for distribution of fentanyl test strips in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — Fentanyl test strips could no longer be considered drug paraphernalia in Kentucky under a bipartisan bill that passed a House committee Wednesday.? The House Standing Committee on Judiciary approved the measure 17-0, with three members passing? House Bill 353, sponsored by Reps. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill and Rachel Roberts, D-Newport, states:? “Testing […]
Juvenile justice bill passes House, would open some minors’ now-confidential records
FRANKFORT —A Republican-backed bill that would reopen a juvenile detention center in Louisville passed the House 79-18 hours after it passed a?House committee Tuesday morning.? It may now go to the Senate for a vote. Members of the House Standing Committee On Appropriations And Revenue voted 20-2 – with two passes – to advance House […]
Bill allowing attorneys to opt out of Kentucky Bar Association advances from House committee
FRANKFORT — Over the objections of Chief Justice ???????Laurance B. VanMeter, the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a bill limiting mandatory dues charged lawyers to support the Kentucky Bar Association. Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, the sponsor, said licensed attorneys would no longer be forced “to be associated with or pay dues to a trade […]
Lofton’s Law headed for Senate, would make hazing that causes death or serious injury a felony
FRANKFORT — A bill that would make hazing a separate crime in Kentucky and provide prison sentences for hazing that causes injury or death cleared committee Thursday and now awaits a vote by the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard from the mother of Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood, 18, who died in 2021 of alcohol poisoning […]
Kentucky Supreme Court keeps abortion ban in place
The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled against an ACLU request to uphold an injunction that had briefly reinstated access to abortion in Kentucky.? That means the commonwealth’s six-week abortion ban will remain intact as the case is litigated.? The high court decision came down Thursday more three months after arguments on the issue were heard […]
Lawmakers want to bring Louisville juveniles home
FRANKFORT — While there’s bipartisan support for returning Louisville kids in the juvenile justice system to Jefferson County, at least two Louisville Democratic lawmakers said they would invest in preventive services rather than detention. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced House Bill 3, which provides $8.9 million to renovate and reopen a 40-bed Jefferson […]
A son’s death. A mother’s quest. Hazing could become a felony in Kentucky.
LEXINGTON — The death of 18-year-old Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood sparked a conversation across Kentucky — one that, for many, was long overdue. On Oct. 18, 2021, the first-year student was found unconscious at the University of Kentucky’s Farmhouse Fraternity house. He later passed away from alcohol poisoning. “I had no clue what was going on. […]
Kentucky juvenile justice reforms have multi-million dollar price tags, state budget director says
FRANKFORT — State Budget Director and Executive Cabinet Secretary John Hicks told lawmakers Tuesday that the price tags to support executive branch reforms in the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice are $20 million in the next fiscal year’s operating budget and $26 million in the current capital budget.? Amid discussions about Kentucky’s juvenile justice system, […]
EJ was in middle school when he entered Kentucky Juvenile Justice
When Edward “EJ” LaGantta was arrested for the first time, he was in middle school. Not yet a teenager, he was arrested after being in a fight with a white boy.? Louisville’s LaGantta, who is Black, went into juvenile detention for the first of five times, including for truancy.? The white boy, LaGantta heard, went […]
Woman jailed for collecting 4 ballots in Arizona sparks fear of voting in majority Latino city
This story was produced in partnership with?Type Investigations, with support from the Fund for Constitutional Government.? SAN LUIS, ARIZ. – The small city of San Luis is tucked away in the far corner of Arizona, closer to Mexico than to any major U.S. city. The community is nearly 95% Latino and tight-knit — the type […]
Suspect science and claims at center of abortion-pill lawsuit
Emergency rooms across America are teeming with women and girls bleeding from abortion drugs in such copious amounts that it’s exacerbating the national blood shortage.? Or, at least, that’s the grim – but false – narrative a group of small conservative Christian medical associations have painted for a federal judge in Texas. Their mountain of […]
Kentucky House impeaches suspended prosecutor who reportedly traded nude images for favors
The Kentucky House of Representatives unanimously voted Thursday afternoon to impeach a suspended elected prosecutor who reportedly asked for nude photos and videos in exchange for prosecutorial favors.? An impeachment committee, chaired by Rep. Daniel Elliott, R-Danville, had advanced three articles of impeachment earlier this week against Commonwealth’s Attorney Ronnie Goldy.? A Louisville Courier Journal […]