Downtown federal buildings will will be closed next week, a move speculated to coincide with a possible announcement in the investigation of the killing of Breonna Taylor.
The Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse and Custom House will be closed Sept. 21-25, according to an order signed Friday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Greg Stivers. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Louisville Field Office and Application Support Center will also be closed the same time period.
Neither announcement provided a reason for the closure. But the announcements come as momentum builds toward a resolution of the investigations into Taylor's death.
The Courier Journal reports that the courthouse will be closed to the public in anticipation of an announcement in the Taylor case. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office has been investigating whether to charge the police officers who shot and killed 26-year-old Taylor in March while they executed a search warrant at her home. The FBI is also investigating the killing.
According to the courthouse order, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which manages the courthouse, notified the court of its intention to close the courthouse to the public.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky declined to comment. Judge Stivers could not be immediately reached for comment.
The USCIS office said all its interviews and appointments have been rescheduled.
This week, Taylor’s family and Mayor Greg Fischerannounced the city will pay the family a historic $12 million settlement and enact new policing reforms.
“As significant as today is, it’s only the beginning of getting full justice for Breonna,” said Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, during the announcement. “We must not lose focus on what the real job is. And with that being said, it’s time to move forward with the criminal charges because she deserves that and much more.”
Protests against police violence and systemic racism have been ongoing in Louisville since late May, after Taylor’s death and the death of George Floyd gained national attention. Louisville’s local courthouse, police headquarters and many other buildings near the center of protest activity are boarded up.
Cameron has resisted calls to offer a timeline for when the investigation would be over, or when he will announce the outcome. A spokesperson for Fischer's office said they don't know when the announcement will be, but they expect to receive advanced notice.