Tentative March 2021 trial date set for ex-officers charged in George Floyd death


A judge on Monday set a tentative trial date for the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd.
Judge Peter A. Cahill tentatively scheduled a March 8 trial date, with a pretrial hearing set for Sept. 11. Derek Chauvin, the officer who placed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, has been charged with second-degree murder, while Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin. Cahill said he expects their attorneys will file motions for separate trials.
Cahill did not issue a gag order, but did say officials, friends, and family members should refrain from making public statements about the case, as they endanger "the right to a fair trial." If the comments continue, he is prepared to move the trial out of Minneapolis.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The officers were fired after Floyd's death on May 25, which sparked anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests across the United States. Chauvin is in a state prison, held on $1 million bail, while Thao is in jail on $750,000 bail. Lane and Kueng are both free on bond.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Gen Z has been priced out of a future, so we invest in the present'
instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Is Trump giving up on Ukraine-Russia peace?
Today's Big Question White House says president is 'weary and frustrated' with conflict
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said