Delay sought in Floyd trial

Lawyer for officer is also seeking a change in venue

Expressing grave concern that the city of Minneapolis’ $27 million settlement with the family of George Floyd last week will tarnish his client, the lawyer for Derek Chauvin asked the judge Monday to delay the trial and move it outside of the city.

The lawyer, Eric J. Nelson, also asked that the seven jurors previously picked to serve on the case be brought back in for further questioning.

“The fact this came in the middle of jury selection is perplexing,” Nelson told Judge Peter A. Cahill.

Cahill agreed that the settlement could affect the criminal case, saying he would consider a postponement. He said the timing was “unfortunate.”

“I wish city officials would stop talking about this case so much,” he said in court, “but at the same time I don’t find any evil intent that they are trying to tamper with this criminal case.”

Cahill said he would also reinterview the seven people who were seated on the jury last week, to see what they know about the settlement.

Steve Schleicher, one of the prosecutors, pushed back on the insinuation by Nelson that the state was trying to prejudice the case with publicity, saying, “We cannot and do not control the civil aspect of this case. We cannot and do not control the Minneapolis City Council.”

As jury selection resumed Monday, the first person, a woman identified only as juror No. 51, was quickly dismissed because she said she heard news of last week’s civil

settlement on the radio and “almost gasped” at the size of it. She said that she already had a strong opinion about the case, and that after hearing about the payout to the Floyd family she felt she could not be impartial.

Another juror was dismissed because he said he saw news, first reported in The New York Times, that last summer Chauvin had agreed to plead guilty to third-degree murder, an arrangement that was ultimately rejected by William Barr, who was then the attorney general, because the deal involved the Justice Department’s agreement not to bring federal charges.

Jim Mone / Associated Press Protesters march Monday around the Hennepin County Government Center where jury selection continues in the trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.