Labor Cabinet Secretary Larry Roberts wrote in a letter to the agency's inspector general Monday that 1,074 teachers did not violate state law by requesting sick leave.

Charissa "Chris" Cooke claimed she was fired for protesting at the Capitol and for her connections to the education advocacy group KY 120 United.

Kentucky Supreme Court Justice John Minton said Shepherd’s social media activity raised enough questions about his impartiality to require his dismissal from the case.

Stephen Pitt filed a motion Tuesday seeking Shepherd’s disqualification from hearing the case, contending that the judge liked a Facebook post by Rep. Chris Harris, D-Forest Hills, in which he said he was “honored to sign a pledge card to vote for the Beshear/Coleman ticket in November.”

Beshear and the Jefferson County Teachers Association originally sued the cabinet in Franklin Circuit Court on April 29, but lawyers for the agency had the case moved to federal court, arguing that exhibits included in Beshear’s complaint raised First Amendment issues that shouldn’t be decided by a state judge.

Jefferson County Public Schools and six other districts told WDRB News on Monday that they had complied with the Labor Cabinet’s request for records relating to six sick outs.

Tuesday’s hearing before U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves at times shifted focus between two issues before the court: whether a temporary restraining order should be in effect against the cabinet and whether federal court is the proper venue for the lawsuit.

Labor Cabinet Secretary David Dickerson filed a notice of removal in U.S. District Court Thursday, essentially moving the case filed by Attorney General Andy Beshear and the JCTA from Franklin Circuit Court to federal court.

The cabinet is investigating the closures as potentially illegal work stoppages.

Secretary David Dickerson’s refusal will most likely spark a legal tussle over the cabinet’s investigation into “sick outs” that closed several school districts, including Jefferson County Public Schools, at least once during this year’s legislative session.