A judge has turned down a request from Grace Kelley, the daughter of country music star Wynonna Judd, for temporary release from prison to give birth to her second child. The motion was filed on July 2, revealing that Kelley is expecting her baby around August 16 through a planned C-section. She is currently serving a 15-month sentence at Rockingham County Jail in Harrisburg, Virginia.
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Grace Kelley has been dealing with a range of legal difficulties, including violations of probation and recent convictions for drug possession and theft. Her current incarceration began on June 18, following a guilty plea for driving with a suspended license related to an arrest in October 2025.
In the motion for temporary release, Kelley’s legal team emphasised the complications that would arise should the request be denied. They argued that preventing her from being present for the birth in a sterile environment was detrimental. Furthermore, they expressed concern that the baby’s father would be excluded from the birth and visitation rights would be denied to family members both before and after the delivery.
The judge presiding over the case, Clark A. Ritchie, denied the request during a hearing held on July 16, which Kelley attended virtually from custody. Since then, PEOPLE has reached out to Kelley’s lawyer for additional comments on the ruling.
Grace Kelley is already a mother to Kaliyah, born in March 2022. Wynonna Judd currently has custody of Kaliyah, as Kelley has reportedly not been in contact with her daughter for several years. Judd has spoken openly about her experience as a grandmother, particularly since her own mother’s tragic passing by suicide in April 2022. In an interview earlier this year, Judd expressed how caring for Kaliyah has been a transformative experience for her.
Kelley’s struggles with the law have been ongoing. In 2018, she was sentenced to eight years for leaving a court-mandated drug recovery programme after being arrested for meth possession in 2016. She was released early in December 2022 but faced further incarceration within months for breaching parole and restraining orders.
In April 2024, Kelley encountered additional legal issues resulting in her arrest on charges including indecent exposure, soliciting prostitution, and obstructing governmental operations. Some charges were eventually reduced or dropped, but Kelley was sentenced to 90 days in jail for public lewdness, with her time served suspended. She was ultimately ordered to serve a 60-day sentence for obstructing government operations.
Continuing her turbulent relationship with the law, Kelley was arrested again in August 2025 on multiple charges, including fleeing from law enforcement and driving with a suspended license. She managed to secure her release after a day on a $2,750 bond.
Most recently, Kelley faced serious allegations in October 2024 after being charged with stealing a vehicle from Ground Zero Church of the Nazarene. She accepted a plea deal that resulted in several charges being reduced, including one to possession of drug paraphernalia and another to petty larceny. Kelley later described her state of mind at the time as having been “hallucinating” from poor-quality drugs.
Despite the challenges, Kelley expressed hope during an August 2025 interview, claiming that she is now healthy, sober, and has found a sense of peace. However, she stated that a restraining order put in place by Wynonna affects her ability to communicate with both her daughter Kaliyah and her own family. Kelley lamented a lack of contact with Kaliyah, saying it has been “a couple of years” since their last interaction.
As Grace Kelley awaits the birth of her second child, the complex dynamics with her mother and ongoing legal troubles continue to cast a shadow over her journey to motherhood. Judd’s commitment to raising Kaliyah in the absence of her mother further complicates the situation, revealing a family deeply affected by the struggles of addiction, legal woes, and personal loss.