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DOJ seeks to drop case against ex-police officers charged in Breonna Taylor's death

Two former Louisville police officers were facing civil rights charges in connection with the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Updated on: March 21, 2026 / 8:15 AM EDT / CBS News

In a court filing Friday, lawyers from the Civil Rights Division said they are seeking to dismiss the pending case against Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany with prejudice, which means it could not be revived in the future. The judge has not yet ruled on the motion.

The filing was signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Keenan and Acting Criminal Chief Katie Neff. No career prosecutors from the division's criminal section signed the brief.

Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers in March 2020 during a botched police raid at her home.

Both Jaynes and Meany were accused by the Justice Department of aiding and abetting the deprivation of Taylor's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.