UPDATE: Judge denies motion to broadcast pre-trial proceedings in George Floyd murder trial
From left: Derek Chauvin, J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.[Hennepin County Jail]
UPDATE: Friday, a judge denied a motion seeking to allow pre-trial proceedings in the case of George Floyd’s murder to be recorded and broadcast.
The State objected to such coverage, according to the ruling by the judge. All four defendants indicated they did not object.
"Given that this is a case that has already received substantial pretrial media coverage, the Court finds that audio or video coverage of the pretrial hearings in this case would not only violate Gen. R. Prac. 4.02(d)(v), but would risk tainting a potential Hennepin County jury pool. In addition, not all parties consent, as required by the rule," District Court Judge Peter A. Cahill wrote.
Audio and visual recordings of the actual trial will be determined at a later time, according to Judge Cahill.
Original report:
A motion filed Thursday details a request made by the four former officers involved in George Floyd’s death to have their pre-trial and trial proceedings recorded and broadcast.
Attorneys representing 44-year-old Derek Chauvin, 37-year-old Thomas Lane, 34-year-old Tou Thao, and 26-year-old J Alexander Kueng agreed to the filing, which states "all defendants are requesting and consenting to video and audio coverage of pre-trial and trial proceedings."
The motion states the defendants are requesting the coverage as "necessary to promote the possibility of a fair trial."
The motion is in response to a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS request for cameras in the courtroom, which has since been echoed by other local and national news organizations.
The unusual motion filed Thursday seeks permission for the proceedings to be recorded. In Minnesota criminal cases, the judge, prosecutor and defense must all agree to allow news cameras, which hasn’t previously happened.
Typically, only the post-conviction sentencing phase is broadcast, because that coverage doesn’t require consent from attorneys.
The four former officers are scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon.