The U.S. Department of Justice is facing intense backlash after recommending that former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, serve just one day in prison.
The charge carries a possible life sentence, but in a new court filing, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division stated that Hankison didn’t fire the fatal shot that killed Taylor and should receive credit for time already served from the day of his booking.
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed during a botched 2020 police raid on her home. Though she wasn’t the subject of the investigation, officers opened fire after her boyfriend, who legally owned a firearm, shot at what he thought were intruders.
The DOJ’s sentencing memo, signed by Trump-appointed Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon, not the prosecutors who led the trial, has stirred outrage from Taylor’s family attorneys and civil rights advocates.
“This is an insult,” said attorneys Ben Crump, Lonita Baker, and Sam Aguiar. “It sends the message that white officers can violate Black lives with near-total impunity.”
Congressman Morgan McGarvey, who represents Louisville, also slammed the recommendation. “A one-day sentence for blindly firing 10 shots into Breonna Taylor’s home is morally reprehensible,” he said. “This is a dark day for our city.”
Adding to the controversy, Dhillon recently rolled back civil rights findings against both the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments, despite prior investigations confirming systemic abuses.
This sentencing recommendation now stands as the latest flashpoint in the broader debate over police accountability and the value placed on Black lives in the U.S. justice system.
