As of Wednesday morning, four men and one woman have been selected to serve as judges during the trial in Minneapolis.
Chauvin pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. In addition, a third-degree murder charge dropped in October is now in limbo after an appeals court ruled that the trial judge should reconsider a motion to reinstate it.
Opening statements are not expected to begin on March 29, followed by evidence that could last about four weeks.
Who was chosen
Eric Nelson questioned the prospective jurors for the defense, while Steve Schleicher questioned them for the prosecution. Judge Peter Cahill chaired the trial.
Three jurors were elected on the first day of the jury on Tuesday, and two jurors were elected on Wednesday.
The first jury member elected was a White man in his twenties or thirties who works as a chemist and said he had an analytical mind.
The second juror was a colored woman who appeared to be in her twenties or thirties, according to a pool reporter in court. She said she was ‘super excited’ about the shape of the jury questionnaire.
The third juror elected was a White man in his thirties who works as an auditor.
The fourth juror was a White man in his late 30s or 40s who said he had a ‘very favorable’ view of Black Lives Matter. He also said he believes the police are more truthful than other witnesses. The jury is planning to get married on May 1 and told the court that if he is chosen for the trial, it could delay the marriage.
“Go ahead and throw me under the bus with your fiancé,” the judge joked. The jury member replied, ‘All right, I’ll do it.“
The fifth juror elected was a black man in his 30s or 40s who moved to the U.S. 14 years ago and works in information technology. He said he had a “somewhat negative” opinion about Chauvin, that he did not agree with the police’s deflation and that the police made him feel safe.
Who is sorry
If the defense or prosecution believes that a person cannot be impartial in the case, they can ask the court to dismiss the person because of the case. Each side has unlimited challenges for the cause.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys can also decide to dismiss prospective jurors for no reason by taking on a mandatory challenge. Chauvin’s team is allowed 15 of these challenges and the prosecution has nine. However, these mandatory challenges can be challenging on their own if they are based on race, ethnicity or sex – known as a Batson challenge.
Six people were excused on Tuesday from serving on the jury, and two were excused on Wednesday.
The defense used forceful strikes on a Spanish woman who said her English was not good, and on a Spanish man who had training in martial arts. The state challenged a Batson challenge, arguing that the strikes were race-based, but the defense disagreed, and the judge sided with the defense’s race-neutral reasoning.
The defense also took advantage of a strike on a man who appears to be Asian in his 30s or 40s.
The prosecutor used a perceptive strike on a White man in his 50s or 60s who said people should not guess the decisions of police officers, as well as a White woman in her 60s who said she had high confidence in the police have.
Three prospective jurors were acquitted by the judge: one woman said she could not be impartial, a man worried the trial would affect his job as an accountant, and a 19-year-old man because he said he the police will treat. officer testifies differently from others.
Brad Parks of CNN contributed to this report.