Following the day one delay of jury selection in the trial of the Derek Chauvin, lawyers began to question potential jurors on Tuesday with questions about their opinions on Black Lives Matter, law enforcement and even how much media they’ve consumed.
Two jurors out of six who have been questioned Tuesday have been chosen. The court needs sixteen total jurors, including four alternates, by the start of opening statements March 29th.
Two were dismissed by the defense, both of whom identified as Hispanic. The state brought what's called a Batson Challenge, asserting the dismissal was due to race.
A Batson Challenge comes from a ruling in Kentucky in 1986 that says the state is not permitted to use its peremptory challenges to automatically exclude potential members of the jury because of their race. "The Equal Protection Clause guarantees the defendant that the state will not exclude members of his race from the jury venire on account of race or on the false assumption that members of his race as a group are not qualified to serve as jurors."
Judge Peter Cahill told the court, “He stated it in a way that made it clear that he was going to stick to his opinion until somebody else told him otherwise or provided proof otherwise, which essentially is shifting the burden out of the defense and not coming in with the presumption of innocence.”
One juror who was selected is a chemist who said, “But I rely on facts and logic and what's in front of me.”
One prospective juror, who said she would have great difficulty being impartial was dismissed.
Jurors are being asked how they handle disputes and if they're able to change an opinion if presented with new information. Three so far have expressed they have strong negative views about the incident, including one who said he does support Blue Lives Matter.
A second juror was seated Tuesday afternoon, a young woman from northern Minnesota who says she has a relative who is a police officer in Brainerd. She also added she believes there is systemic racism in the criminal justice system against black people. When told she would be admitted, she said, “Awesome”, and was excited to be chosen.
