DOJ Recommends One Day, Supervision for Hankison

The U.S. Department of Justice has recommended a one-day prison sentence and three years of supervised release for former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during the 2020 raid that led to her death. The DOJ argued that since none of Hankison's shots hit Taylor or her neighbors and he has no prior criminal record, a lengthy sentence is not warranted. The sentencing memo was signed by Trump-appointed Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon and senior counsel Robert Keenan, not by career prosecutors. The DOJ further noted Hankison is unlikely to serve as a law enforcement officer or legally possess a firearm again. Civil rights advocates have criticized the recommendation, viewing it as a reversal from prior Biden administration efforts to address racial disparities in policing. The officers whose shots killed Taylor were not charged, as prosecutors deemed their actions justified in response to her boyfriend firing at police, believing them to be intruders.