Gag Order in George Floyd Murder Cases  

On July 9, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill issued an order prohibiting attorneys and others working on the matter from publicly talking about “any information, opinions, strategies, plans or potential evidence . . . either to the media or members of the general public. This includes, but is not limited to, any discovery provided to the parties, and any exhibits in the case.” However, “access to public records [in the cases] is not restricted by this order.”[1]

The Order applies to “all parties, attorneys, their employees, agents, or independent contractors working on their behalf.”

The Order was prefaced by the following statement, “The court has been made aware that two or more attorneys representing parties in . . .[these] cases granted interviews or talked with the media yesterday, expounding on the merits of the case or commenting on other aspects of the case after a motion to dismiss was filed in [the Lane case]. The court find that continuing pretrial publicity in this case by the attorneys involved will increase the risk of tainting a potential jury pool and will impair all parties’ right to a fair trial.”

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[1] Gag Order, State v. Chauvin, Thao, Lane, Kueng, Dist. Ct. Files 27-CR-20-1646, 12949, 12951. 12953 (July 9, 2020); Xiong, Judge issues gag order in trial of ex-officers charged in George Floyd killing, StarTribune (July 9, 2020); Assoc. Press, Judge imposes gag order on attorneys in George Floyd case, StarTribune (July 9, 2020).