Judge rules against Bevin in University of Louisville trustee case

Ruling that Gov. Matt Bevin had illegally acted as “judge, jury and executioner” in abolishing the University of Louisville board of trustees and appointing his own, a judge on Wednesday permanently set aside Bevin’s orders.

In another blow to Bevin’s executive powers, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said Bevin’s June 28 actions were “entirely without precedent.”

Shepherd wrote in a 17-page opinion that Bevin “maligned the integrity and competence” of the former board members by calling them “operationally dysfunctional,” then broke the law by giving them “no recourse whatsoever” to contest his “unilateral fiat.”

The judge also said Bevin improperly agreed to fire and replace the board as a condition of getting President James Ramsey’s agreement to resign.

Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-governor/2016/09/28/judge-rules-against-bevin-u-l-trustee-case/91221200/