The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed notice to appeal a federal judge's decision to dismiss the most serious charges against two former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers involved in the fatal 2020 raid on Breonna Taylor’s home.
On Friday, prosecutors submitted a two-page notice to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking to challenge U.S. District Court Judge Charles Simpson's August 22 ruling. The filing did not include detailed arguments against Simpson’s decision.
Judge Simpson had dismissed two felony charges against former LMPD Detective Joshua Jaynes and Sgt. Kyle Meany. Both were accused of providing false information in the search warrant used during the raid that led to Taylor’s death. However, Simpson ruled that Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, firing at police officers was the "legal cause" of her death, not the improper warrant.
The dismissed charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison. When asked for comment on the appeal of the dismissed charges, the DOJ declined to comment.
Jaynes and Meany still face other federal charges, each carrying a sentence of up to 12 months.
In a prior statement, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said, “The appeal will extend the life of the case, but we will continue to fight until we get full justice for Breonna Taylor.”
