Wynonna Judd’s pregnant daughter, Grace Kelley, was denied a temporary release from jail before giving birth. Kelley, who was serving a 15-month sentence after pleading guilty to driving with a suspended license, had sought a furlough to deliver her second child outside custody.
The ruling added another development to the family’s complicated legal and personal history.
Grace Kelley was denied a temporary furlough from jail ahead of her child’s birth
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, a judge denied Kelley’s request on July 16. The 30-year-old remained at Rockingham County Jail in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Her legal team filed the request on July 2. The documents stated that Kelley expected to give birth around August 16. Her attorney asked for temporary release, but the judge ordered her to remain behind bars.
Instead, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office was expected to escort Kelley to the hospital. She was scheduled to undergo a cesarean section.
The baby marked Kelley’s second child. She previously welcomed daughter Kaliyah Grace during a jail leave in 2022. Kaliyah had since lived with her grandmother on Wynonna’s Tennessee farm.
Court records also revealed a strained family situation. The documents stated that Kelley had no contact or support from her biological family in Tennessee. They specifically named Wynonna.
In January 2025, however, Wynonna spoke about raising her granddaughter during an appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends. “I don’t have a computer. I don’t watch television unless it’s planned ’cause I’m raising my 2 ½-year-old granddaughter,” she said.
Kelley’s legal troubles stretched back years and included drug, driving, theft, and prostitution-related charges. Online records showed her expected release date was November 16. She was then expected to serve five years of supervised probation.
The family drama had also included serious allegations against Wynonna. In 2025, Kelley alleged that her mother failed to protect her after alleged abuse by former stepfather D.R. Roach. Kelley’s allegations had not been established in the provided material.
Despite their fractured relationship, Wynonna once defended her daughter fiercely. In a 2020 interview on The Pursuit! with John Rich, she called Kelley “the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory.’”
