Slavery and indentured servitude is illegal in Kentucky except as a punishment for a crime. The exception has deep ties to slavery, and some lawmakers hope to amend the Constitution to eliminate it.
The governor has a duty to challenge laws he deems unconstitutional and the “comprehensive authority” to decide how funds appropriated to his office are spent, the appeals court ruled.
The celebration will be one of only three second-term inaugurations in state history since a state constitutional amendment allowed governors to run for another consecutive term in the 1990s.
The Republican did not address London Mayor Randall Weddle’s use of “straw donors” to make excessive contributions to Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign and the Kentucky Democratic Party.
The governor won the election against his Republican challenger, Attorney General Daniel Cameron with 53% to Cameron’s 47% of the vote, according to unofficial returns.