Bevin litigates while U of L drifts

From the Herald-Leader:

The (Bevin) administration has rebuffed entreaties from Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd to reach a compromise with Attorney General Andy Beshear resolving uncertainty over the U of L board’s makeup. Bevin last week even urged his U of L appointees to convene in defiance of a court order. “They’ve got work to do, absolutely. Their job is to govern, and that is exactly what I think they should do,” Bevin told WHAS radio.

It’s been almost a month since Shepherd temporarily blocked Bevin’s order abolishing and replacing that board, ruling that the governor’s unprecedented action was at odds with several state laws, the terms of U of L’s accreditation and the constitutional separation of powers.

Bevin’s disregard for separation of powers and due process were also noted when Shepherd reinstated Kentucky Retirement Systems board member Thomas Elliott on Monday. Shepherd took Bevin to task for using “lawless, strong-arm tactics” in threatening — through staff members accompanied by uniformed state police officers — to arrest Elliott if he participated in a board meeting.