US judge to sentence former police officer in Breonna Taylor case

 

Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison is scheduled to be sentenced for violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during the March 2020 raid that led to her death. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker, was killed when officers conducted a no-knock raid on her apartment late at night. Her boyfriend, thinking the police were intruders, fired a legal gun, prompting officers to return fire. Taylor was struck and killed.

Hankison, although not the officer who shot Taylor, was charged with violating her rights for firing blindly into her apartment from outside. He was acquitted of state charges in 2022 but later found guilty by a federal jury in November 2024. Despite that, the U.S. Justice Department has requested only a one-day prison sentence for him. The sentencing recommendation came from Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump-appointed official now heading the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

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This move has sparked outrage among Taylor’s family and civil rights advocates, who view the recommendation as undermining accountability. Notably, none of the prosecutors who tried the case signed the sentencing memo. President Biden’s administration had originally charged Hankison and others for violating civil rights in the cases of both Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. However, recent decisions by Trump-era officials appear to be reversing those efforts.

The Justice Department’s sentencing memo filed on July 16 argues that Brett Hankison did not kill Breonna Taylor and should not be held directly responsible for her death. It suggests that he deserves a one-day prison sentence despite being convicted of violating her rights. The memo was filed by Dhillon and her advisor Robert Keenan, both of whom have histories of reducing or contesting civil rights violations.

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Taylor’s death was one of the flashpoints for nationwide racial justice protests in 2020, alongside the murder of George Floyd. The DOJ’s decision to go soft on Hankison has revived concerns that accountability for police misconduct is being rolled back under Trump-aligned leadership within the department. Civil rights lawyers for the Taylor family called the sentencing recommendation a slap in the face and are urging the judge to give a more appropriate punishment.

The federal judge presiding over the case, Rebecca Grady Jennings, rejected Hankison’s recent motion for a new trial on Friday, paving the way for Monday’s sentencing. Taylor’s family members may address the court directly during the hearing.

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This case also marks a turning point in the DOJ’s handling of police reform cases. Earlier in the year, the Civil Rights Division, now under Dhillon, withdrew from a proposed consent decree with the Louisville Metro Police Department. It also rescinded earlier findings of widespread misconduct and racial bias in the department.

Many see these actions as a systematic effort to limit federal oversight of law enforcement, even when there is strong evidence of civil rights violations. Advocates warn that such shifts threaten progress made toward police accountability since 2020 and could embolden misconduct across the country.