A federal judge in Louisville dismissed the remaining charges Friday against two former police officers accused of falsifying a search warrant in the 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III granted a Justice Department motion to drop the misdemeanor deprivation of rights charges against former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany. The one-page order dismissed the indictment and superseding indictment with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled, and exonerated the officers' pretrial bonds.

The DOJ filed the dismissal motion on March 20, stating after review that the case should be dropped "in the interest of justice." A DOJ spokesperson described the prior charges as "inappropriate, weaponized federal overreach," noting neither officer was present at the shooting, and a court had twice dismissed more serious felony counts.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician, died on March 13, 2020, when Louisville Metro Police Department officers executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment. The warrant targeted an ex-boyfriend selling drugs elsewhere; no drugs were found at her home. Officers announced their presence, but Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a shot, wounding one officer. Police returned fire with over 30 rounds, six of which struck Taylor.

Jaynes drafted the warrant affidavit, claiming U.S. Postal Service records showed suspicious packages to Taylor's address. Meany relayed that information, which prosecutors later called false. The officers faced federal charges in 2022 for civil rights conspiracy and false statements. Judge Simpson dismissed the felony civil rights counts twice, most recently in August 2025, ruling that prosecutors failed to prove the false information directly caused Taylor's death.

Former Detective Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots blindly into the apartment, was convicted in November 2024 of violating Taylor's civil rights. He was sentenced in July 2025 to 33 months in prison. He had been acquitted of state wanton endangerment charges in 2022. Officers Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, who fired the fatal shots, faced no criminal charges.

Attorneys for Jaynes and Meany welcomed the ruling. "Kyle is overjoyed and incredibly relieved," said Michael Denbow, Meany's lawyer. Travis Lock, representing Jaynes, called his client "elated."

The dismissal closes the final federal criminal case stemming from the raid that sparked nationwide protests.