Judge who signed the warrant to search Breonna Taylor's apartment loses reelection bid
Jefferson Circuit Judge Mary Shaw said in 2020 that she received death threats after signing the warrant for the police search in which Breonna Taylor was killed.
Now the incumbent judge has lost her reelection.
Shaw was narrowly defeated Tuesday by attorney Tracy Evette Davis, 51% to 49%.
Shaw was the only incumbent circuit judge to draw a challenger, and lawyers outside the race said she was vulnerable because of her role in the Taylor case, in which the 26-year-old woman was shot and killed by police after her boyfriend fired one shot out of her apartment, thinking the couple was being robbed. It hit a detective in the leg and he and other detectives returned fire, killing Taylor.
"I was disappointed by the results, but not surprised as there are so many false narratives surrounding the signing of the warrant which have circulated," Shaw said Wednesday. "I’m proud of the campaign I ran, and of the 16 years I have been on the bench. It has been an honor and privilege. I’ll be retiring from the state after 33 years of service and am looking forward to a new chapter."
Kentucky election 2022:3 key takeaways from Kentucky's midterm election results
Shaw initially was criticized, accused of rubber stamping warrants for five raids on the night Taylor was killed, but two detectives who obtained them were indicted in August for lying on the affidavit used to get the warrant and a sergeant was charged with covering that up.
One of the detectives, Kelly Goodlett, pleaded guilty and is expected to testify next year at the trial of former Detective Joshua Jaynes and Sgt. Kyle Meany, both of whom were fired.
Goodlett admitted she falsely claimed a postal inspector had verified Taylor was receiving packages for her ex-boyfriend, convicted drug dealer Jamarcus Glover, at her apartment before the raid. In fact, postal inspectors said there was no evidence Taylor was receiving packages at her apartment.
Two attorneys, Davis and Christine Miller, filed to run against Shaw in the May primary but would not say if they challenged her because of the Taylor case. Miller finished third in the primary.
Miller finished third but Davis defeated Shaw Tuesday by a margin of 51-49.
Neither Davis nor Shaw immediately responded to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky judge Mary Shaw loses reelection to Tracy Evette Davis
