ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – When a witness to George Floyd’s killing choked up while testifying during the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson quickly stepped in, granting a defense attorney’s request for a sidebar that defused the moment.
It was an example of how the 84-year-old judge has exerted a tight grip on proceedings, occasionally frustrating prosecutors with his determination to keep emotion to a minimum and move the case against Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane forward as quickly as possible amid a pandemic.
Through three weeks of testimony, Magnuson has been quick to cut off attorneys when he thinks they’ve gone too far – sometimes with a curt, “No thank you,” or even just a firm, “No,” to requests for time-consuming sidebars. He has admonished them to cooperate on routine matters such as replaying videos, ordered them to reduce their planned exhibits and questioned how many witnesses they need.
The judge also sped jury selection along in a single day – a sharp contrast to the more than two weeks it took to seat a jury in the state trial in which former Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in Floyd’s death. His desire for speed amid the pandemic was brought home when one defendant tested positive for the virus, halting the trial for three days.
Thao, Lane and Kueng are charged with willfully depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights while acting under color of law. Chauvin – the white officer who pinned Floyd under his knee for 9 1/2 minutes while the Black man was handcuffed, facedown – pleaded guilty to a civil rights count in December.