DOJ Seeks One-Day Sentence for Ex-Officer in Breonna Taylor Civil Rights Case

The U.S. Department of Justice has controversially recommended a one-day jail sentence and supervised release for former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, who is set to be sentenced on Monday for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor. Taylor was fatally shot by police in her Kentucky home in March 2020.

Hankison was convicted in November 2024 of one count of civil rights abuse for firing shots into Taylor’s bedroom, which was obscured by blinds and a blackout curtain, during a botched narcotics raid on the wrong residence. Despite facing a potential maximum sentence of life in prison, Justice Department attorneys argued for a drastically reduced penalty.

In a sentencing memorandum dated July 16, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon and Senior Counsel Robert J. Keenan stated that because Hankison’s shots did not strike anyone and he otherwise has a clean record, he should serve only three years of supervised release. The memorandum also cited psychological stress Hankison endured from his trials, stating, “there is no need for a prison sentence to protect the public from defendant or to provide ‘just’ punishment or deterrence.”

The memo further noted his 2023 mistrial and acquittal on a separate charge concerning neighbors’ civil rights. Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department in June 2020, and Taylor’s killing became a flashpoint for the Black Lives Matter movement nationwide. If the judge accepts the DOJ’s recommendation, Hankison would effectively serve no additional jail time, as his initial booking and court appearance would fulfill the one-day sentence.

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