MINNEAPOLIS -- A judge on Wednesday dismissed two jurors who had been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in George Floyd's death over concerns they had been tainted by the city's announcement of a $27 million settlement with Floyd's family.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill recalled seven jurors who were seated before the settlement was announced last week, at the request of former officer Derek Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson. Cahill questioned each about what they knew of the settlement and whether it would affect their ability to serve.
The dismissal of only two jurors suggested the impact of the settlement on the jury pool was less than feared, likely reducing the chance of Cahill granting a defense request to delay the trial. The judge has set March 29 for opening statements if jury selection is finished by then.
Cahill was careful to ask jurors if they had heard about the settlement without giving details, including whether they'd been exposed to the "extensive media coverage about developments in a civil suit between the city of Minneapolis and the family of George Floyd."
The first dismissed juror, a white man in his 30s, said he heard about the settlement and that he though it would be "hard to be impartial."
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"That sticker price obviously shocked me," the second dismissed juror said. The Hispanic man in his 20s said he thought he could set the news aside, but wasn't sure, and after a long pause, Cahill dismissed him.
Cahill retained five other jurors, including a Black man in his 30s who said he heard about the settlement on the radio Friday evening but could put it aside and decide the case on the evidence presented in the courtroom. "It hasn't affected me at all because I don't know the details," he said.
Nelson called the timing of the announcement in the middle of jury selection "profoundly disturbing" and "not fair."
Two additional jurors were chosen Wednesday, bringing the total back to nine. There are five men and four women. Five are white, one is multiracial and three are Black, and their ages range from 20s to 50s. Fourteen jurors, including two alternates, are needed.
The newest jurors are a Black man in his 40s who said he works in management and has lived in the Twin Cities area for about two decades after immigrating to America, and a white woman in her 40s, who works as a consultant helping companies work through transitions.
The man said he had a neutral view of Chauvin, and could start with a presumption of innocence. He said he trusts police, but when asked if it's fair for a jury to evaluate the officer's actions, he said yes.
"I would say it's another pair of eyes and a new mind just looking at the action," he said.
The woman said she agreed that police don't always treat white and Black people equally, but that she has a pretty strong faith in police in her community. She said it's important for people to cooperate with police and would generally agree that if someone does not cooperate, he or she might have themselves to blame.
"I've probably been taught or learned along the way that you respect police and you do what they ask," she said.
Several were excused, including a man whose race was not disclosed who said he would tend to believe a police officer's version of events over that of a civilian, and a Black man who expressed negative views about the Minneapolis Police Department.
He said Floyd was an example of another Black man "killed" or "murdered" by police, and that he had seen Minneapolis police ride through the area near Floyd's arrest and antagonize residents after someone had been shot or jailed.
Another man who said he is white and also lives in that area, was dismissed after saying he had watched video of Floyd's and Chauvin's interaction multiple times and that it would be difficult for him to presume Chauvin's innocence.
Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in the May 25 death of Floyd, a Black man who was declared dead after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes. Floyd's death, captured on bystander video, set off weeks of sometimes-violent protests across the country and led to a national reckoning on racial justice.
The judge opened court Wednesday by threatening to remove a media pool and shut down a media center over some reporting on the case. Cahill described a pool report that included a reporter's attempts to read notepads at the defense and prosecution tables and described security in the court where the trial is taking place.
Cahill said any media outlets that posted details about security should take them down or risk being kicked out of the media center. He did not name any reporters or media organizations.
