Judge who signed Breonna Taylor warrant loses reelection, blames ‘false narratives’

A Kentucky judge who signed off on the police raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor lost her reelection bid on Tuesday, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Mary Shaw was defeated by Tracy Evette Davis, who captured 100,906 votes to Shaw’s 98,530, according to the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office.

Shaw lamented the race’s outcome and noted that her association with the Taylor incident likely played a role in her defeat.

“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 told the Courier Journal.

She added, “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.”

Shaw drew sharp criticism for signing the March 2020 no-knock warrant that allowed officers to enter Taylor’s home. Further fuel was added to the fire when the Department of Justice charged four Louisville police officers in August with falsifying an affidavit that supported the search warrant Shaw signed.

Davis won the endorsement of Taylor’s mom, Tamika Palmer, who sponsored a fundraiser for Davis earlier this month.

“Everybody knows what happened March the 13th (2020) with Breonna,” Palmer said, according to WAVE News. “But the more you learned about the story and the more you learned what parts people played, you had to know why those people did what they did, or how did they end up in those positions and not care about the job that they were doing.”