Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion asking a judge to prevent anonymous grand jurors from speaking to the public about the Breonna Taylor case.
Cameron, a Republican, said he was not trying to silence members of the grand jury from expressing their opinion about the decision not to indict two of the officers involved in the raid of Taylor’s home, but he added that he does not believe a juror should be allowed to reveal information about the jury’s proceedings.
“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 on Wednesday. “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. 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,” he added.
At least two members of the grand jury have sought permission to reveal information about Taylor’s case. Kevin Glogower, an attorney for one of the jurors, said that the public deserves to know what information was given to the grand jury before it made its decision.
“The full story and absolute truth of how this matter was handled from beginning to end is now an issue of great public interest and has become a large part of the discussion of public trust throughout the country,” Glogower said.
Taylor died after Louisville police officers opened fire while executing a raid on her home in March. Many activists were outraged when only one of the three officers involved in the raid was charged with wanton endangerment to the public and not for killing Taylor.
The Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Association also released a statement calling for the court not to allow the jurors to speak out about the case.
“Individual dissatisfaction with a grand jury proceeding, or with another grand juror, or with the prosecutor’s comments or legal interpretation are not compelling reasons to set aside the rules of grand jury secrecy,” the group said.
