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Restrictions on media protests over the trial of former officers for Floyd’s death Black Lives Matter News

News outlets, the media say, will not be able to see enough people to see the civil rights trial, which begins on Thursday.

A coalition of media groups has said restrictions on access to the federal civil rights trial of three former Minneapolis police officers have been announced. charge The death of George Floyd would lead to an unconstitutional closure of the court.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, citing COVID-19, limited the number of people who could be in his courts to proceedings against former officers on charges of depriving Floyd of his rights while acting under government authority.

The selection of the prestigious jury will begin this week and the initial arguments are scheduled for next week. Dismissed Minneapolis agents – Tou Thao, J Kueng and Thomas Laneare – are accused of violating Floyd’s civil rights; a fourth officer, Derek Chauvin he pleaded guilty in a federal lawsuit in December.

Floydena death, captured on video by a viewer, shocked the United States and sparked for months protests and violent confrontations with police in U.S. cities in 2020 over racial justice.

Chauvin is a former white officer in Minneapolis who had Floyd tied to the sidewalk with his knee on the Black Man’s neck, although Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin zen accused of murder last year in a criminal trial and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.

Following the rules of the old federal court, proceedings against Thao, Kueng and Laneare will not be given directly or in public.

Magnuson limited how much can be seen in the closed-circuit feed of the procedure, which will be directed to crowded rooms that can only be seen by a limited number of journalists and the public.

Chauvin’s murder charges were handed down to the state court. The judge in this case made an exception in the state chambers in the face of the usual restrictions, citing the need for public access in the midst of the pandemic.

“We do not need to explain to this Court the seriousness of the trial, the impact of Mr. Floyd’s death on the Twin Cities and the world, or how the public’s ongoing and intense public justice system deals with those accused of murder.” in a letter dated January 17th.

“As a result, the trial … is essential to be open to the press and the public.”

Philonise Floyd, George Floyden’s brother, and Brandon Williams, Floyden’s nephew, reacted at a news conference after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of violating Floyd’s civil rights. [Nikolas Liepins/AP Photo]

The selection of the jury must include two members of the media in the jury room. The media coalition has stressed that no public will be accepted at this stage, nor will the relatives of the accused or the Floyd family.

Only four journalists and one sketch artist will be admitted to the trial, plus some family members, but none from the general public.

There will be about 40 seats in the crowded halls for the media and the public. The audience in the halls will see it through monitors with only limited views. The test exhibits were not immediately made public.

“It is in the interest of all involved that the media coverage of this trial be fair and accurate and that the public understanding of the federal judicial system be improved, including an understanding of how the jury arrives at the verdict,” said media reports.

“The best way to ensure such coverage is to give the media unlimited access to trial and the evidence that comes with it.”

Magnuson “has tried to adapt to the interests of the media and the public, but as the letter says, he has to try harder,” said Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for Media Ethics and Law Research at the University of Minnesota. , which is one of the 18 groups that signed the letter.

Kirtley said the recent trials of Chauvin and Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center officer shooting death Daunte Wright pointed out that the cameras are uninterrupted and do not violate the privacy interests of witnesses or jurors.




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