# Louisville *City in Kentucky; named in the U.S. Department of Justice's May 21, 2025 retraction of police findings in eight jurisdictions, Minneapolis among them.* Louisville is Kentucky's largest city by population. It lies on the Ohio River at the Falls of the Ohio, on the state's border with Indiana.[^1] The City of Louisville and Jefferson County merged their governments on January 6, 2003. The consolidated body is the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, called Louisville Metro, and it is led by a Metro Mayor and a Metro Council.[^1] In the Minnesota record Louisville appears in one at-issue item. On May 21, 2025 the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division issued release 25-534. It announced that the Department was moving to "dismiss with prejudice" its suits against [[Minneapolis]] and Louisville and was closing both investigations. It also announced that the Department was retracting its findings as to those two cities and as to [[Phoenix]], [[Trenton]], [[Memphis]], [[Mount Vernon]], [[Oklahoma City]] and the [[Louisiana State Police]].[^2] The record documents Louisville only through that release. It carries no docket number, filing date or findings text for the Louisville suit.[^2] ## Where Louisville is in north-central Kentucky, where the Ohio River forms the boundary with Indiana.[^1] It was historically the seat of Jefferson County and has been the county's nominal seat since the 2003 merger. The consolidated city-county had 782,969 residents at the 2020 census.[^1] In the Minnesota record the city's place is in a list. It is one of eight cities and agencies whose federal findings the Department of Justice retracted in a single action on May 21, 2025.[^2] ## In the at-issue record At-issue item 031 ([[At issue 031 - When DOJ retracted the Minneapolis findings it retracted]]) treats the May 21, 2025 action as a batch: Minneapolis was not singled out. The item says the Department retracted "six others in the same action," but the names it lists after Minneapolis number seven. Release 25-534 names seven jurisdictions besides Minneapolis: Louisville, Phoenix, Trenton, Memphis, Mount Vernon, Oklahoma City and the Louisiana State Police.[^2] The Minneapolis instrument in that batch has a documented sequence. The Department opened a pattern-or-practice investigation of the [[City of Minneapolis]] and the [[Minneapolis Police Department]] on April 21, 2021, under 34 U.S.C. § 12601. The opening came one day after the [[Chauvin verdict]].[^3] On June 16, 2023, in release 23-674, the Department reported reasonable cause that MPD "uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force." It also reported reasonable cause that MPD "unlawfully discriminates against Black people and Native American people in its enforcement activities."[^4][^5] A 169-page [[consent decree]] providing for an independent monitor was filed on January 6, 2025, in *United States v. City of Minneapolis*, No. 0:25-cv-00048 (D. Minn.); see [[United States v. City of Minneapolis (MPD consent decree)]].[^6] Release 25-534 quoted Assistant Attorney General Dhillon. She described the action as "ending the Biden Civil Rights Division's failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders."[^2] The documented outputs of the same action were: - motions to dismiss two suits with prejudice; - the closing of two investigations; - the retraction of findings in eight jurisdictions.[^2] In the Minneapolis case, Judge [[Paul A. Magnuson]] granted dismissal with prejudice and denied the motion to approve the settlement as moot. He cited "grave misgivings about the proposed consent decree serving the public interest."[^7] Sahan Journal reports that the order issued on May 28, 2025. The Clearinghouse docket dates the dismissal May 27, 2025, and the record leaves that one-day difference unresolved.[^7][^3] The state instrument covering Minneapolis was not part of the federal action, and it survived it. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights filed a charge on June 1, 2020. On April 27, 2022 it found "probable cause that the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination," in violation of the [[Minnesota Human Rights Act]].[^8] The same report found that 13 of the 14 people killed by MPD officers since 2010 were people of color or Indigenous. It also found that Black residents were 19% of the city's population but 63% of recorded use-of-force incidents from 2010 to 2020.[^8] A court-enforceable settlement was filed on March 31, 2023. [[Hennepin County District Court]] Judge Karen Janisch approved it on July 13, 2023, in *Minnesota v. Minneapolis Police Department*, [[No. 27-CV-23-4177]].[^9][^10][^11] The settlement terminates only on a judicial finding of "full, effective, and sustained compliance." Its [[independent evaluator]], ELEFA, began work on March 18, 2024.[^9] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Louisville, Kentucky* (revision 1380943925, retrieved 2026-10-27) — location on the Ohio River and Indiana line, 2003 city-county merger, Metro government, 2020 census population, county-seat status. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville,_Kentucky [^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *release 25-534* (May 21, 2025) — motions to dismiss with prejudice the Minneapolis and Louisville suits, closing of both investigations, and retraction of findings as to Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix, Trenton, Memphis, Mount Vernon, Oklahoma City and the Louisiana State Police; statement of AAG Dhillon. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-department-justices-civil-rights-division-dismisses-biden-era-police-investigations-and [^3]: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, *Case 18178* (docket) — DOJ pattern-or-practice investigation of the City of Minneapolis and MPD opened April 21, 2021 under 34 U.S.C. § 12601; dismissal dated May 27, 2025. https://clearinghouse.net/case/18178/ [^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *release 23-674* (June 16, 2023) — reasonable-cause findings on excessive force and discrimination by MPD. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-civil-rights-violations-minneapolis-police-department-and-city [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Minneapolis findings report* (June 2023) — the full 89-page findings report. https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/minneapolis_findings_report.pdf [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Justice Department reaches agreement with City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department* (January 6, 2025) — 169-page consent decree filed in No. 0:25-cv-00048 (D. Minn.), providing for an independent monitor. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-reaches-agreement-city-minneapolis-and-minneapolis-police-department [^7]: Sahan Journal, *Minneapolis federal consent decree dismissed* (May 2025) — Judge Magnuson's dismissal with prejudice, denial of the approval motion as moot, the "grave misgivings" language, and an order date of May 28, 2025. https://sahanjournal.com/public-safety/minneapolis-federal-consent-decree-dismissed/ [^8]: Minnesota Department of Human Rights, *Investigation into the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department* (April 27, 2022) — charge filed June 1, 2020; probable-cause finding; 13 of 14 people killed; 19% population and 63% use-of-force figures. https://mn.gov/mdhr/assets/Investigation%20into%20the%20City%20of%20Minneapolis%20and%20the%20Minneapolis%20Police%20Department_tcm1061-526417.pdf [^9]: Minnesota Department of Human Rights, *civil rights update* (2023–2024) — settlement filed March 31, 2023, approved July 13, 2023 by Judge Karen Janisch; termination standard; ELEFA began March 18, 2024. https://mn.gov/mdhr/news-community/newsroom/civilrightsupdates.jsp?id=1061-584578 [^10]: Minnesota Department of Human Rights, *MPD settlement agreement document hub* — documents of the court-enforceable settlement. https://mn.gov/mdhr/mpd/agreement/ [^11]: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, *Minnesota v. Minneapolis Police Department*, No. 27-CV-23-4177 (docket) — Hennepin County District Court case of the state settlement. https://clearinghouse.net/case/43326/