By Jake Kaplan

Here are some of the legal news stories making headlines this week:

—On Wednesday, a Kentucky grand jury empaneled for the killing of Breonna Taylor in March determined that police officers Jonathan Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison were justified in firing their weapons for a combined 32 shots, six of which struck Taylor. Hankison, however, was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for firing 10 shots that tore through Taylor’s apartment and neighboring units. In a news conference after the grand jury decision, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said, “This is a tragedy, and sometimes the criminal law is not adequate to respond to a tragedy, and I fully acknowledge that.” The grand jury decision sparked protests in Louisville and around the country Wednesday night. In Louisville, the demonstrations resulted in the shooting of two police officers.

— This week, the nation continues to mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. On Wednesday and Thursday, RBG lay in repose at the Supreme Court, and today, she will lie in state at the Capitol — becoming the first woman to be given this honor. Meanwhile, the battle over filling her seat is heating up. President Trump is expected to announce his nominee on Saturday. The current front-runners for the position are reportedly U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Judge Barbara Lagoa. Both women are staunch conservatives with ties to the Federalist Society. Regardless of who Trump chooses, reports indicate that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has enough votes to confirm the nominee during this session of Congress after Senator Mitt Romney announced he would support a confirmation vote.  

— On Monday, DOJ classified New York City, Portland, and Seattle as “anarchist jurisdictions.” Attorney General Bill Barr announced an investigation in response to President Trump’s memorandum earlier this month requesting a review of cities “permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction.” Criteria for classifying a city as an “anarchist jurisdiction” included, among other things, “whether a jurisdiction has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a geographical area” and “whether a jurisdiction disempowers or defunds police departments.” “We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance,” AG Barr said. This is not the first time that President Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from state or local governments. In 2017, Trump issued an executive order warning “sanctuary cities” that he would “defund” states and cities that protect undocumented residents from deportation. The president, however, does not have ultimate power over federal spending — Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the federal spending power.