LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that the attorney general’s office has the power to participate in investigations across the state.
The ruling handed down Thursday overturns a Kentucky Court of Appeals decision stripping away the ability of the office to take part in the probes. The appeals court ruled that the attorney general has jurisdiction only when local officials or the governor requests it.
Justice Bill Cunningham, writing for the court, said Kentucky law specifically vests the attorney general with the authority to enforce and investigate drug crimes throughout the state.
The case stems from two drug trafficking cases in eastern Kentucky. A public defender contended that the law didn’t give the office the authority to step in to cases around Kentucky.
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