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Philip Crowther

9 Mar, 32 tweets, 4 min read

Court is back in session in the Derek Chauvin trial. The former Minneapolis police officer is in the courtroom, wearing a grey suit and a black mask. Jury selection still set to begin at 9 AM CT.

Jury selection could still be delayed if a higher court decision is made on whether a third degree murder charge will be reinstated. For now, things proceed as set out by the district judge yesterday.

Until 9 AM CT motions can be discussed by attorneys, as is the case right now.

Court is in recess. First group of potential jurors expected to be in the courtroom at 9 AM. Judge Cahill jokes about the lack of a Court of Appeals update on the reinstatement of the third degree murder charge, even asks attorneys in the room to check their phones for an update.

Court is back in session. Jurors are in the room and are being addressed by the district judge. The trial of Derek Chauvin can now begin with jury selection.

Chauvin’s attorney just introduced himself and his client to the potential jurors. Chauvin stood up but did not introduce himself.

While the trial of Derek Chauvin is being streamed live, only three cameras are being used and at no point will they show the jurors.

Potential jurors are being reminded by the judge not to consume any news on the trial.

It's clear why jury selection might take three weeks and will be arduous. The first juror states that she has seen the video of George Floyd's death, but cannot answer - because of her limited English - whether she could put her current perceptions aside in her deliberations.

Juror #1 is asked by Chauvin's attorney whether she would be willing to change her mind based on evidence in the trial. She eventually says "yes".

Chauvin's attorney to potential juror #1: "On a scale of 1-10 how good do you think your English is?"

Potential juror: "7-8."

She is having difficulty understanding some of the attorney's questions.

Juror #1 has been dismissed. Potential juror #2 is now up. No jurors have been seated so far. Again, the judge has reserved up to three weeks for jury selection.

Fascinating: Chauvin's attorney asks potential juror #2 how he felt when he saw the fencing around the courthouse when he first arrived on Monday. He says he was surprised because he had tried to not consume any news on the pending trial, as had been requested of him.

Juror #2 says he has never seen the video of George Floyd's death. He says he formed a "tentative opinion" on what happened based on media reports.

Potential juror #2 says he once visited the intersection where George Floyd died.

Juror #2, a male, will be on the jury. He is asked to report back to the courtroom on March 29, for three weeks total.

Potential juror #3 (female) is being questioned by the judge. She says she has seen some headlines and Instagram posts since she first was told she might be on the jury. She says she could "try to be impartial" but has "strong opinions."

Potential juror #3 says "there is too much that has happened and too much that is hard fact that cannot be ignored" and she "hopes for a specific outcome".

Potential juror #3 is swiftly dismissed but not before the judge thanks her for her candor.

Potential juror #4 (male) is on the stand. He says he is able to "stick to the facts". The judge laughs when he hears that the potential juror moved to Minneapolis from California three years ago.

Potential juror #4 said in his pre-trial questionnaire that Chauvin used "an illegal move" that "looked a little rough".

Potential juror #4 says about Chauvin that "the way he handled that situation struck me as very negative." But he does say his opinion could change based on the evidence he would see during the trial.

Potential juror #4 has been excused. So far, only one juror has been selected for the Derek Chauvin trial.

And on to potential juror #8 (male). If there's a jump from 4 to 8, it's because potential jurors 5, 6, and 7 were already dismissed yesterday by lawyers and prosecutors before even being questioned in the courtroom.

(I obviously won't be able to live-tweet the whole jury selection but I do hope this has helped you understand how this process works, and how arduous it will be to find a jury that satisfies both defence and prosecution.)

Meanwhile, a reminder that it is on the 18th floor of this building, the Hennepin County Government Center, where the Derek Chauvin trial is taking place.

Another juror has been chosen. The Chauvin trial now has one male and one female juror. Her response to being chosen: “Awesome.” She earlier said was excited to get the call for jury selection.

Current 19-year-old potential juror says he does not trust law enforcement and believes the Minneapolis Police Department has a history of corruption.

Potential juror #19 says he has a favourable view of "black lives matter" and a negative view of "blue lives better". Defence attorney is now questioning him.

Potential juror #19 (male) has been seated on the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial. See above for his favourable view of "black lives matter" and negative view of "blue lives matter". He is the second man on a three-person jury so far.

Considering three weeks have been set aside for jury selection, things are moving along quite quickly. 12 jurors and two alternate jurors are needed. Three have been selected, so that's 11 that still need to be seated.