A new Kentucky Parole Board rule has been placed on hold after a judge issued a temporary restraining order at the request of Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
The ruling prevented dozens of convicted murderers and other convicted felons from receiving new parole hearings.
The parole board policy change meant 45 people, the majority convicted murderers, would get new parole hearings, despite being ordered to serve out their sentences.
Previously, at an inmate’s first parole hearing, the board could issue a serve out order to inmates serving sentences of life or life without parole for 25 years; meaning the inmate would spend the rest of their life in prison. In April, though, the parole board decided to take that step at an inmate’s second parole hearing.
That led to two lawsuits, one from the Pulaski County Commonwealth’s Attorney, and a second legal action from Cameron and the commonwealth’s attorney for Laurel and Knox counties.
On Monday, a Knox County judge issued a temporary restraining order, barring those hearings from taking place, for the time being.
If the restraining order had not been issued, the first of the new parole board hearings would have taken place in July.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
