MPR News with Angela Davis

Analyzing jury selection and race in the trial of ex-cop Derek Chauvin

A man behind a desk speaks.
In this screen grab from video, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over jury selection on Monday in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis.
Screenshot of Court TV video

As jury selection wrapped up in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, what can the process tell us about how the trial will play out?

With cameras in the courtroom, we had a front-row seat to the questioning that took place of potential jurors — even though the jurors’ faces were never shown to protect their identities.

During jury selection on Monday, two potential jurors were struck — one by the prosecution and one by the defense — after talking about their views of the Black Lives Matter movement.

And earlier in the selection process, the prosecution questioned whether the defense’s rejection of one juror was on the basis of race.

Even while their names are protected, the race of the first 14 jurors seated has been widely reported: three Black men, including two who are immigrants; one Black woman; two women who identify as multiracial; two white men; and six white women.

MPR News host Angela Davis talked about jury selection in the Chauvin trial on Tuesday, as a 15th — and final — juror was selected. Davis also talked with two members of the In the Dark podcast team more broadly about their reporting on the role race plays in jury selection and what that can mean for a how a trial plays out.

Guests:

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