Judge declines to move or delay Derek Chauvin trial

The trial of former Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd will continue in Minneapolis as scheduled, despite concerns over pre-trial publicity, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ruled Friday.

Driving the news: Chauvin's attorney had asked the judge to postpone or move the trial following last Friday's announcement that the city of Minneapolis reached a $27 million civil settlement with Floyd's family.

• Defense attorney Eric Nelson argued he was "gravely concerned" that news coverage of the record payout had "incredible potential to taint the jury pool."

What he's saying: Cahill said while he's frustrated by the timing of the city's announcement, "unfortunately, I think the pre-trial publicity in this case will continue no matter how long we continue it."

• He said a change of venue would not "give the defendant any kind of fair trial beyond what we are doing here today."
• "I don't think there's any place in the state of Minnesota that has not been subjected to extreme amounts of publicity in this case."

The big picture: A move or delay would have upended one of the world's most closely watched trials, two weeks into the jury selection process.

• City and state officials have spent months — and millions of dollars — to lock down the area surrounding the downtown courtroom amid concerns about large crowds and civil unrest.

Between the lines: Some experts say the settlement news could be grounds for an eventual appeal or mistrial from Chauvin's defense.

What's next: Jury selection continues ahead of opening statements on May 29.

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