Judge upholds decision to livestream trial of four Minneapolis officers charged with killing George Floyd
A judge has upheld his decision to livestream the trial of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd.
Judge Peter Cahill dismissed the arguments of prosecutors who claimed that allowing cameras inside the courtroom could violate court rules or scare away witnesses.
On Friday Cahill reaffirmed his previous ruling from November and said that he would allow video coverage due to immense global interest in the case as well as protecting the defendants' Sixth Amendment rights and the public and media's First Amendment rights.
Cahill also cited the size of the courtrooms and 'unique and unprecedented situation' brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic as an other reason.
The trial of Derek Chauvin, 44, Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34, is scheduled for March 2021.
A judge upheld a previous ruling that will allow the trial of the four former Minneapolis police officers to be videoed The defendants are pictured above (clockwise from top left): Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Keung, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane
This still image taken from a May 25, 2020, video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows Minneapolis police officer Chauvin arresting George Floyd
Derek Chauvin (pictured in court on September 11 in a court drawing in the center) is charged with murdering George Floyd, the 46-year-old African American whose death in May sparked nationwide protests
George Floyd (pictured) died on May 25 after Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes as he pleaded: 'I can't breathe'
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill (pictured)
Last month state prosecutors had argued that recording audio and visuals of the trial would violate court rules and scare away potential witnesses.
Attorney General Keith Ellison´s office, which is leading the prosecution, asked that Cahill rescind his previous ruling or consider reducing outside access.
But Cahill declined to modify his original ruling, writing that although he had granted more extensive video coverage than allowed in court rules, he is permitted to modify the rules 'in any case to prevent manifest injustice', as reported in The Minneapolis Star Tribune.
He added: 'Without question, deprivation of the constitutional rights that are the hallmarks of a public criminal trial would be a "manifest injustice",' Cahill wrote in his statement.
He continued: 'The only real issue then, is whether there is a reasonable alternative to televising the trial that would vindicate the defendants' Sixth Amendment rights and the First Amendment rights of the public and the press… The Court concludes that televising the trial is the only reasonable and meaningful method to safeguard the Sixth and First Amendment rights implicated in these cases.'
A coalition of media organizations had requested camera access, arguing that cameras would increase transparency, especially during the pandemic.
Floyd's death sparked nationwide and global protest over racial justice. A man wearing a face mask is pictured holding a sign near a burning vehicle at the parking lot of a Target store
Floyd, a black man in handcuffs, died on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes as he pleaded: 'I can't breathe.'
Video of Floyd's death sparked protests in Minneapolis and beyond, and led to a nationwide reckoning on race.
All four officers involved were fired.
Chauvin faces second-degree unintentional murder and manslaughter charges.
J. Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
One of the Hennepin County Government Center's largest courtrooms has been remodeled to adhere to social distancing requirements following the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
As a result, the public gallery has been removed, and only one seat in the courtroom remains that is not used by a trial participant.
If the trial is televised, a technician will occupy the chair.
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