Appeals Court Dismisses Request to Delay Trial of Officer Charged in George Floyd’s Death

The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Friday dismissed prosecutors’ request to delay next month’s planned trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd over their safety concerns about trying the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The appeals court also dismissed the state’s request to hold a joint trial for Derek Chauvin and three other former officers who are scheduled for trial in the summer. Prosecutors appealed, saying multiple trials would traumatize witnesses and the community and that the evidence against all four defendants is similar. They also said all four officers should be tried in the summer, when COVID-19 may present less of a risk.

However, it was ruled last month that Chauvin would stand trial on his own starting March 8 and that the other defendants would be tried together starting August 23. The Court of Appeals found that prosecutors did not show that holding Chauvin’s trial in March would have a “critical impact” on their ability to successfully prosecute the trial.