Jury selection is 1st battleground at trial in Floyd’s death (update)

UPDATE:

The judge overseeing the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in George Floyd’s death postponed jury selection for a day while an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge. But Judge Peter Cahill says he will continue with jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin on Tuesday unless the appeals court tells him not to. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Legal experts say reinstating the charge will improve the odds of getting a conviction. On Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to dismiss 16 of the first 50 jurors they reviewed, based on answers to their questionnaires.

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UPDATE:

The judge overseeing the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in the death of George Floyd has paused jury selection while an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge. Judge Peter Cahill said Monday that he does not have jurisdiction to rule on whether the third-degree murder charge should be reinstated against Derek Chauvin while the issue is being appealed. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Legal experts say reinstating the charge will improve the odds of getting a conviction. Chauvin’s attorney says he’ll ask the state Supreme Court to review the appeals court decision that ordered Cahill to reconsider the charge.

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Original story:

The fate of a former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck as the Black man said he couldn’t breathe will be decided by 12 residents of Hennepin County who will be picked after extensive grilling about their views. Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death. Picking a jury is expected to take at least three weeks, as prosecutors and defense attorneys try to weed out potential jurors who may have biases. Legal experts say the key will be finding jurors who can put aside their opinions and decide the case based on the evidence.

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Legal experts say the murder case against the Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck is no slam dunk, despite powerful bystander video from the scene. Jury selection begins Monday in Derek Chauvin’s trial on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. The outcome of the trial is expected to come down to two key questions: Did Chauvin’s actions cause Floyd’s death, and were his actions reasonable? Floyd was declared dead May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes. Floyd’s death sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond, and led to a nationwide reckoning on race.