Andy Beshear v. Jonathan Shell

Summary

The court held that HB 334 and HB 518 unconstitutionally restructure executive governance by dispersing appointment and removal authority so extensively that the Governor lacks a constitutionally sufficient chain of accountability to ensure faithful execution of the laws. It further concluded that HB 518's structural ties to the General Assembly and related provisions could not be severed from the unconstitutional design. The court reversed the judgment upholding HB 334 and affirmed, as modified, the result invalidating HB 518.