Trial starts Monday.
The Hennepin County Courthouse is surrounded by concrete barriers, fences, and razor wire. There is one public access. The prospective jurors are instructed to park at a remote location and will be brought to the courthouse in sheriff's vehicles. The jury will be partially sequestered and kept anonymous. The judge and others connected with the trial have been subject to significant threats and intimidation tactics at home and at work. This is all bad enough in terms of how to have a fair trial. Added to this are immediate cries by everyone from the Minnesota governor to the Minneapolis mayor to the city dog catcher, not to mention national pundits of all stripes calling for the immediate incarceration and conviction of the cops. Pelosi's House of Representatives even passed the George Floyd Police Reform Act yesterday. The ramifications of a not guilty verdict, or even of a conviction of a lesser charge, are horrendous and maybe unthinkable. The jurors know all of this. They also know that they will be doxxed.
I don't think it's possible for any defendant to get a fair trial in the death of George Floyd. There are significant reasonable doubt questions about the actual cause of death--will that matter?
The threat of mob action (hope of mob action for some) permeates this entire proceeding. Seemingly, the entire country has turned into a lynch mob. In this atmosphere the presumption of innocence and concepts of fair trial have evaporated. SCOTUS will eventually hear the criminal justice ramifications of a case like this. Intimidation and threats won't escape the SCOTUS courtroom either. Is it possible that public opinion is so strong fair trial won't matter?
Mobs are taking over everything from local city councils, to school boards, to state legislatures, to congress and finally the courts. In this case, numerous public officials support the mob. Not good.
Back to the more mundane.
Here is the website for public filings in this case. Lots of mundane stuff. Except for brief mention in the Judge's order for partial jury sequestration, you wouldn't know what this case involves. Interestingly, state A.G. Kieth Ellison has assembled a team of legal all stars to prosecute Chauvin. Chauvin is defended by a single criminal lawyer who seems to be well-qualified but alone.
As a personal anecdote. I had a short trial in federal court during the Tim McVeigh trial. While security was enhanced, it was nothing like this. Back then we had a few more concrete barriers and planters to stop truck bombs. The floor where the trial was held was blocked off. No razor wire. The biggest difference was the makeshift stages around for all the pundits to do their daily TV reports with the Federal Courthouse as a back drop.