New laws, blocked laws
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A majority of the 200-plus bills passed into law during the 2022 session of the Kentucky General Assembly go into effect today — though Jefferson Circuit judges put at least a temporary halt to two bills challenged by Gov. Andy Beshear and the Jefferson County Board of Education.
Also in this week's newsletter, we take a look at how the first significant gun reform bill passed by Congress in three decades will affect Kentucky, plus the continued Democratic opposition to the president's plan to nominate a Republican attorney to a lifetime judgeship in Kentucky.
Beshear, JCPS pick up court victories
The new laws going into effect in Kentucky today involve new restrictions on public benefits, a transgender sports ban, charter school funding and the death penalty — but not so fast on two that were blocked with a court injunction this week.
A Jefferson Circuit judge granted Beshear's motion to block a law shifting his appointment power with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission to other GOP constitutional officers, with those Republican officials — including three who are running for governor against Beshear — already starting their appeal process.
Another judge in the same circuit ruled that a section of Senate Bill 1 restricting the authority of Jefferson County's school board is unconstitutional and does not have to be followed.
Here's a rundown of 14 of the notable bills that haven't been blocked in the courts and are now law in Kentucky.
What the gun bill means in Kentucky
Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law three weeks ago — spurred by the gun massacre of children in Uvalde, Texas — expanding background checks and dedicating billions of dollars for mental health treatment, school safety and “red-flag laws” in states that have them.
Kentucky is not one of those states with a red-flag law — giving judges the power to temporarily restrict access to firearms for people believed to be in imminent danger of harming themselves and others — as previous bipartisan efforts gained no traction in Frankfort.
Reporter Jonathan Bullington spoke with experts and advocates about what the new law will mean for Kentucky — including the closure of the "boyfriend loophole" and a crackdown on straw purchases in the commonwealth — the eighth largest per-capita exporter of guns traced by the ATF.
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'What's in it for us?'
Beshear and Congressman John Yarmuth are not the only prominent Democratic officials scratching their heads on President Joe Biden's plan to nominate conservative attorney Chad Meredith to a federal judgeship in Kentucky, as U.S. senators also pitched in with their opposition and bafflement this week.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin got no answers from the White House when he asked them "What's in it for us?" on a yet-to-be-submitted Meredith nomination, with a half-dozen other Democratic senators indicating they would not vote for an attorney that worked to restrict abortion in Kentucky.
Beshear's patience is also growing thin, saying there's "been plenty of time" for the White House to inform him they have rescinded the nomination plans, which was originally supposed to be submitted on the day Roe v. Wade was reversed.
Keep watching this space for updates.
In case you missed it...
Courts reporter Andy Wolfson has the lowdown on a judge slapped with 45 misconduct violations and messages showing a prosecutor promised to help a defendant if she sent him nude images.
A social services whistleblower was awarded $2 million in damages in a lawsuit alleging retaliation for reporting problems at the state's child protection agency.
In more whistleblower news, a former University of Louisville attorney filed a lawsuit alleging school officials retaliated against her for reporting Dino Gaudio's attempted extortion of former men's basketball coach Chris Mack to law enforcement.
Louisville Metro Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong is eyeing the state Senate seat of Democratic U.S. House candidate Morgan McGarvey, should he win this fall.
Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: New laws, blocked laws
