Grimes cleared of ethics violations by Kentucky court

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Alison Lundergan Grimes, former Secretary of State, regarding ethics violation charges. The unanimous decision comes after a lower court found that the charges against her were filed too late. Grimes had been accused of improperly ordering the downloading and sharing of voter registration data while she was in office. However, the appellate court stated that the Executive Branch Ethics Commission missed its deadline to bring charges against her. They affirmed the earlier court's ruling, which characterized the commission's decision as arbitrary and unsupported by strong evidence. Grimes' attorney expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating that it confirms the commission should never have brought charges against her. Grimes hopes this decision will allow her and her family to move on after nearly eight years of uncertainty. The Executive Branch Ethics Commission is still considering its next steps, including the possibility of appealing the ruling to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Grimes served as the Secretary of State from 2011 to 2019 and is also known for her unsuccessful 2014 campaign against Republican Mitch McConnell for the U.S. Senate. In November 2021, Grimes had been fined for two previous ethical violations related to how she handled voter data. She argued that the information was public and that she had the authority to share it without following the usual request process.