FRANKFORT, Ky. ― A state judge said it is “problematic” for Kentucky’s Republican governor to entirely replace the University of Louisville board of trustees, calling into question the new board’s authority on the day it was scheduled to meet to discuss its billion dollar budget and the fate of its embattled president.
Gov. Matt Bevin issued an executive order last month abolishing the university’s board of trustees and replacing it with a new board. Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear sued Bevin, arguing his order was illegal. On Thursday, Beshear’s office asked Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd to temporarily block Bevin’s order, placing the university back under the authority of its previous leadership.
Shepherd did not rule on Beshear’s request following a four-hour hearing. But he did call Bevin’s order “problematic” because he said it puts the university’s independence in jeopardy.
“It is problematic to say one governor, any governor, regardless of their identity, regardless of their political party, has the unilateral power to abolish the board and to recreate it and to get rid of all the board members,” Shepherd said.
Meanwhile, the new board of trustees put in place by Bevin was meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss its budget and the future of President James Ramsey. The board took on action on its budget, which includes a proposal to raise tuition by 5 percent this year. A committee of the previous board had blocked that tuition increase.
In a meeting last week, Ramsey offered his resignation to the board but it didn’t act on it. Board members were meeting in a closed session Thursday afternoon.
It’s unclear how Shepherd’s pending rule would impact the decisions made by the current board, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the university’s leadership.
