MINNEAPOLIS — A Hennepin County judge said he's unsure whether state law will allow him to permit cameras in the courtroom for the upcoming trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged in connection to George Floyd's murder.
Minnesota law prohibits visual or audio broadcasting of trials. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, judges made exceptions in two high-profile trials of former police officers — Derek Chauvin and Kimberly Potter — citing the need to balance emergency health restrictions against high public interest in an open trial.
With COVID-19 cases now on the decline, Judge Peter Cahill said Monday he doesn't believe the statute still gives him discretion to permit livestreaming in the trial of J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, scheduled to begin June 13.
