Jury selection in the murder trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with the death of George Floyd is slated to begin Tuesday after a false start delayed proceedings on Monday.
Jury selection is expected to formally commence Tuesday morning. The process was supposed to begin Monday but was delayed as the state supreme court reviewed the reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge.
Derek Chauvin currently faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death. He previously also faced a third-degree murder charge, which was dropped by Judge Peter Cahill last fall.
However, an appellate court is investigating that ruling and could reinstate that third-degree charge. Cahill says he does not have the power to reinstate that charge and added Monday that "unless the Court of Appeals tells me otherwise, we're going to keep moving."
Considering the trial represents such a high-profile case, it may take several days to seat a jury that's deemed impartial. Opening statements in the trial aren’t expected to take place until March 29.
Floyd died on May 25 while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department. Video taken by bystanders at the scene of Floyd’s arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
The arrest video sparked months of nationwide protests against police brutality and the largest civil rights demonstrations since the 1960s.
