Judge refuses to delay Chauvin trial, jury selection nears end

Judge says delay would not stop publicity surrounding landmark case, only two jurors remain to be seated. A judge on Friday denied a defence request to delay or move the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death after the announcement of a $27m settlement for Floyd’s family raised concern about a tainted jury as jury selection neared its end. Eric Nelson, the lead lawyer for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, has complained to the court that publicity around the trial has tainted the jury pool in and around Minneapolis, citing in particular the settlement to their wrongful death civil lawsuit. In a separate ruling, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said he would allow the jury to hear limited evidence from Floyd’s 2019 arrest, but only that pertaining to the cause of Floyd’s death in 2020. Cahill said the jury could see a portion of the 2019 video from police body-worn cameras showing up to the point where they remove Floyd from the car and handcuff him.