Reason Roundup

Juror in Breonna Taylor Case Sues for Right To Reveal What Really Happened in Court

Plus: Presidential candidates take the stage tonight, the most-banned books of the last decade, and more...

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sipaphotoseleven074310 | Stephen Zenner / SOPA Images/Sip/Newscom
(Stephen Zenner / SOPA Images/Sip/Newscom)

A member of the grand jury that did not indict Louisville police for Breonna Taylor's murder is now suing for the release of court transcripts and related records. The unidentified jury member's motion, filed Monday, says it was filed so that "the truth may prevail."

Specifically, the motion asks the court "to release any and all recordings of the grand jury pertaining to what is commonly known as the Breonna Taylor case," and "to make a binding declaration that Grand Juror, and any additional members of this grand jury, has the right to disclose information and details about the process of the grand jury proceedings … and any potential charges presented or not related to the events surrounding that matter."

The motion also takes aim at Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, accusing him of "using the grand jurors as a shield to deflect accountability and responsibility."

The motion "strongly suggests that Attorney General Cameron's public comments contradict what was presented to the grand jury," tweeted The Washington Post's Radley Balko. "It essentially accuses Cameron of hiding behind grand jury secrecy requirements while misleading the public about evidence the grand jury actually saw."

Last week, the jury returned charges against just one of the three officers involved in Taylor's killing. The charges—three counts of wanton endangerment for Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Detective Brett Hankison—were not for Taylor's death but for potential danger Hankison could have caused to those in the vicinity.

Hankison "was arraigned Monday in Jefferson Circuit Court, pleading not guilty. He is free on $15,000 bond," notes the Louisville Courier Journal.

The judge at Hankison's arraignment also ordered that a "recording of the grand jury proceedings" must be filed with the court by this Wednesday.

Cameron, who had previously refused to release these records, said in a Monday night statement that he will comply with the order for them to be released. "The release of the recording will also address the legal complaint filed by an anonymous grand juror," he said. "We have no concerns with grand jurors sharing their thoughts on our presentation because we are confident in the case we presented."

ELECTION 2020

It's debate night! President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will take the stage together in Cleveland tonight, starting at 9 p.m., for the first of three scheduled debates between the two major-party presidential candidates. Libertarian Party presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen will be holding her own event tonight, which I'll be moderating. You can tune into the Jorgensen event on her Facebook or YouTube pages starting at 6:30 p.m.

QUICK HITS

• Captain Underpants. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Hunger Games…The American Library Association just put out a list of the "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books" of the past decade. Check it out here.

• On Saturday, members of the group NXIVM—whose leader was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering in 2019—delivered a petition to federal prosecutors demanding answers about alleged evidence tampering, witness intimidation, and other instances of prosecutor misconduct. Among the petition signers were Amanda Knox, who was famously convicted of murder and then exonerated in Italy, and Valentino Dixon, who spent 27 years in prison before having his name cleared and being set free.

• Intermittent fasting has generated buzz in weight loss circles for the past decade, but a new study suggests it might be more bad advice.

• Here's how to fix asset forfeiture laws.

• Megan McArdle on Trump's tiny tax bill: "We knew he was a tax chiseler and a scoundrel before the Times story broke. We knew it before he became president, because he bragged about it on the campaign trail. If voters didn't care then, why would they start to now?"

• School districts are starting to punish kids for what's in the background during their virtual classes:

• Rep. Justin Amash (L–Mich.) on why he left the Republican Party: