Paul Magnuson: Judge in George Floyd cops trial says case has 'nothing' to do with race
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: The trial for former Minnesota cops Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane has just begun at the federal courthouse in St Paul, Minnesota and the judge presiding at the trial is already facing heat over one of his earlier remarks. During the final jury selection process on Friday, January 21, veteran US District Judge Paul Magnuson noted, "There is absolutely nothing about the subject of religion, race or ethnicity that’s involved in this case." He reportedly told this to a potential Black juror who doubted his impartiality in the case due to "my color."
Presently, the jury comprises 18 members, among whom 16 are white and two are Asian-American. The selection also sparked controversy alongside Judge Magnuson's comments, as no Black juror was eventually selected for the bench. George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man was brutally choked to death by former Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. He kneeled onto his neck for over nine minutes even as Floyd gasped for breath and said, "I can't breathe". Last year, Chauvin was convicted on three counts of murder and manslaughter, and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
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While Chauvin was proved to be guilty in the murder of Floyd, his colleagues Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane were also arrested and dismissed from their duties. Video footage of the incident showed Kueng, who is Black himself, kneeling on Floyd's back while Lane held his legs down and Thao prevented bystanders from intervening. They were later charged with the deprivation of Floyd's rights.
The opening deliberations for the trial of the ex-officers have begun already where prosecutors revisited the tragic death of Floyd in meticulous details. However, there continues to be uproar over Judge Magnuson's racially dismissive comments and non-diverse jury selection, especially in a case that stirred the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement.
Though he was most likely speaking about the charges against the three former Minnesota cops, his remark was criticized by legal expert Joe Daly. He admitted that Judge Magnuson was technically correct "in the framework of the law and facts." However, he added, "It has almost everything to do with race. It has to do with what we know about how police enforce minor crimes against African Americans, how police have acted toward African Americans, minority people."
Paul Arthur Magnuson has been serving as the Senior Judge of the US District Court of Minnesota since 2002, after his sting as the Chief Judge. He was originally appointed to the institution as a judge way back in 1981 by then-President Ronald Reagan. He graduated from the William Mitchell College of Law and Hamline University School of Law from 1982 to 1989. It remains to be seen whether Magnuson can rise above the initial controversy and deliver a fair and impartial judgment to render justice to the slain George Floyd.