BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. —
- 14 jurors selected, 12 panelists and 2 alternates
- Jury consists of seven men and seven women
- Seven white men, four white women, two Asian women and one Black women selected as panelists
- Kim Potter will take the stand in her own defense
10:30 a.m.
Court documents show Cortez Rice is being charged with felony harassment for his protest outside Judge Regina Chu's home last month.
A criminal complaint says that Judge Chu told an investigator that "it was her belief the intention was to intimidate her and to interfere with the judicial process."
On Nov. 6, Rice live-streamed himself outside what he claimed was Judge Chu's condo. Rice and other protesters targeted Chu's home to demand she allow cameras in the courtroom for Kim Potter's trial. At the time, she had an order saying no cameras. But soon after this protest, Judge Chu changed the order to allow cameras. She stated the reason was COVID, not the protest.
10 a.m.
The final juror seated for the trial of Kim Potter was juror 58, a white man and father of a young toddler who lives in Eden Prairie. The juror told the courtroom that his daughter’s godfather is a St. Paul police officer, but said that relationship won’t impact his ability to be a fair and partial juror in this case. The juror was passed by the defense and state, making him the final panelist for the trial.
The jury consists of 14 total people, 12 jurors and two alternates. Seven men and seven women make up the jury. Judge Regina Chu previously said that the final two jurors will serve as non-deliberating alternates.
According to the court's public information officer, the jury consists of seven white men, four white women, two Asian women and one Black woman.
9:30 a.m.
The first juror questioned on Friday morning was juror 57, a white woman who served on a jury twice before. One of those cases involved a police officer, but the juror said she couldn’t remember if the trials were for civil or criminal cases. When asked about the protests that followed Wright's death, the juror said she thought that this was a good time to reflect on the issues that are impacting our communities. The juror told state prosecutor Matthew Frank that she generally trusts the police, but there are still occasions where people might not be able to trust law enforcement. The juror said she would be “honored” to serve in this case and was passed by both the defense and state, making her the 13th panelist seated for the trial of Kim Potter.
Potter is charged with first and second-degree manslaughter in the April 2021 shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.
Heading into Friday, the jury included one Black person, two Asian people and nine white people.
Thursday recap
The first panelist chosen was a white man who works in IT. Following his questioning, the courtroom adjourned for lunch.
When they resumed in the afternoon, Judge Chu brought back a juror who had already been seated, citing his concerns over details of his life that had been revealed during the first round of questioning on Tuesday that made it possible for people to identify him.
The juror told the court he didn’t realize the selection process was being livestreamed, and said his phone started "blowing up" as soon as he left the courtroom.
After more questioning from Chu, the juror decided he was still willing to sit on the panel. Defense attorney Earl Gray apologized to the juror for using his last name while addressing him.
The next juror seated was a white woman and mother of two. She was followed by the final juror selected on Thursday, a white man who works for a tech company and had served in the Navy.
The state has used all its peremptory strikes, while the defense has one remaining.
