A federal judge has dismissed Louisville’s proposed police reform agreement with the Department of Justice, ending a yearslong effort to impose federal oversight following the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor, per CNN.

On Wednesday (December 31), U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton ruled that the city’s consent decree could not move forward after the Justice Department withdrew its support earlier this year. In his decision, Beaton wrote that responsibility for ensuring the Louisville Metro Police Department complies with federal law must rest with “the city’s elected representatives and the people they serve.”

The ruling follows the Justice Department’s May decision to abandon proposed consent decrees with Louisville and Minneapolis, which were developed in response to nationwide protests over the police killings of Taylor and George Floyd. A similar action by a judge in Minneapolis dismissed that city’s agreement as well.

The Louisville decree stemmed from a multiyear federal investigation launched under the Biden administration. A draft report released in 2023 concluded that Louisville police discriminated against Black residents, used excessive force, and conducted unlawful searches, including reliance on invalid warrants.

Trump's Justice Department leadership criticized the investigations, arguing they relied on flawed legal theories and imposed costly, burdensome oversight on local police departments. Although the agreements were finalized in the final weeks of the Biden administration, judicial approval was required for them to take effect.

Beaton noted that his ruling does not prevent Louisville from pursuing reforms independently.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city will continue its reform efforts despite the loss of federal oversight. The city has adopted its own reform plan and hired an independent consulting group to monitor progress. Greenberg’s office said recent steps include clearing a backlog of public records requests and releasing police body-camera footage from shootings within 10 business days.

Louisville began implementing changes following Taylor’s death in March 2020, including banning “no-knock” warrants and launching a pilot program that sends behavioral health professionals to some emergency calls. The city also paid a $12 million wrongful death settlement to Taylor’s family.

Last year, former Louisville police detective Brett Hankison became the first officer involved in the raid on Taylor’s apartment to be sentenced to prison. Hankison received nearly three years for excessive force after firing 10 shots blindly into the apartment, despite not striking Taylor or anyone else.

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