Kentucky attorney general asks court to block grand juror from discussing Breonna Taylor case

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) has moved to stop an anonymous grand juror that was empaneled to hear the case of Breonna Taylor — the 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed in her home by Louisville police in March — from speaking publicly about the proceedings of the grand jury.

Cameron filed the motion Wednesday, which asks the Jefferson County Circuit Court to dismiss the juror’s request. 

“As I’ve stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office’s involvement in the matter involving the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor,” Cameron said in a statement. “However, I have concerns with a grand juror seeking to make anonymous and unlimited disclosures about the grand jury proceedings.”

“The grand jury process is secretive for a reason, to protect the safety and anonymity of all the grand jurors, witnesses, and innocent persons involved in the proceedings,” Cameron added. “Allowing this disclosure would irreversibly alter Kentucky’s legal system by making it difficult for prosecutors and the public to have confidence in the secrecy of the grand jury process going forward.”

Grand jury proceedings are by nature secretive, but last week the juror filed a motion requesting all recordings, transcripts and reports related to the proceedings be released to the public, citing that Cameron was not being fully transparent about how the grand jury came to its decision to only indict one of three officers involved in Taylor’s death.

“Attorney General Cameron attempted to make it very clear that the grand jury alone made the decision on who and what to charge based solely on the evidence presented to them,” the juror’s filing read. “The only exception to the responsibility he foisted upon the grand jurors was in his statement that they ‘agreed’ with his team’s investigation that [officers Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove] were justified in their actions.”

The juror also requested that jury members be able to freely speak about “any potential charges and defendants presented or not presented” by Cameron and his office.