A judge on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, finding him in contempt for failing to comply with court orders to provide financial documents. The warrant was issued days before Bevin is scheduled to appear in a Louisville court proceeding concerning whether he owes child support to his estranged son, according to a report on Thursday.
Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson ruled that Bevin must serve 60 days in county jail or post a $500 cash bond and submit financial records, including bank statements, tax returns, and other documentation reflecting his income.
According to the Kentucky Lantern, the court had previously given Bevin until Monday to produce the requested materials or face possible jail time.
“I have no choice but to hold you in contempt of court for violating the court’s order,” Johnson said. “You didn’t do what you were supposed to do when you were supposed to do it.”
The order follows an attempt by Matt Bevin to have Judge Angela Johnson removed from the case on Monday, citing alleged bias and claiming her actions were influenced by media attention tied to his prior role as governor from 2015 to 2019.
The warrant was also issued after Bevin did not appear in person at a scheduled hearing on Tuesday. He said he had traveled out of state to attend the funeral of his ex-wife’s father and was returning to Kentucky, Just the News reported.
Bevin is expected to appear in court Friday in connection with the child support case. His son, Jonah Bevin, 19, has alleged that his parents abandoned him as a minor and are responsible for providing financial support, including assistance with his education.
Meanwhile, a second federal court ruled Tuesday that individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are not entitled to bond hearings, addressing a legal issue that has emerged in challenges to Donald Trump’s deportation policies, Fox News reported on Wednesday.
The case centered on Joaquin Herrera Avila, a Mexican national who was arrested in Minneapolis in August. Authorities said he was unable to provide documentation authorizing his entry into the United States and was subsequently detained without bond while facing removal proceedings.
“Massive court victory against activist judges and for President Trump’s law and order agenda,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said following the St. Louis-based Eighth Circuit decision to reverse a lower court’s ruling. The Eighth Circuit also ruled that many captured illegal immigrants were ineligible for any release.
The appellate court’s ruling came after a federal judge in Minnesota granted Avila’s petition for habeas corpus, or the right to challenge the legality of his detention, which the Trump administration subsequently challenged, Fox noted.
“We reverse and remand [that ruling] for proceedings consistent with this opinion,” the Eighth Circuit ruled Wednesday in a split decision. George W. Bush-appointed Judge Bobby Shepherd of Arkansas wrote for the majority.
Shepherd noted in his ruling that the lower court relied on a federal law that allowed detention without bond for “an alien who is an applicant for admission [or] seeking admission…” while also considering that Avila was no longer seeking formal admission because he had been residing and working in the U.S. for a number of years.
However, Avila did not pursue further residency options such as naturalization or asylum, according to the court, which ruled that this indicated he was not “seeking admission” in a legal context.
“The Eighth Circuit has held that illegal aliens can be detained without bond, following a similar ruling from the Fifth Circuit last month. The law is very clear, but Democrats and activist judges haven’t wanted to enforce it. This administration will,” Bondi said. “Imagine how many illegal alien crimes could have been averted if the left had simply followed the law?”