ST PAUL, Minn. — A jury has been seated for the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights in May 2020.
J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights while acting under government authority, as fellow officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck, causing his death.
All 12 jurors and six alternates were selected on Thursday, Jan. 20 with opening statements beginning Monday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m.
The jury selection process is different than in state court. Judge Paul Magnuson, who will be presiding over the trial, began with a panel of 30 potential jurors who were brought in to be questioned by him. Both prosecuting and defense attorneys had to pass questions to Judge Magnuson to ask, but were not allowed to interact with jury candidates themselves.
A second panel of 26 potential jurors were then questioned. After the second group, the court had reached its goal of 40 potential panelists who were passed for cause. Then prosecutors and the defense team used their strikes to whittle the number down to the 18 people needed to hear the case.
While federal courts don't provide a detailed demographic of the jury, here's what we know about the people selected to hear the case:
Juror No. 1
The first juror is a man who has lived in Hennepin County for 6 months and has a master's degree in architecture.
Juror No. 2
The second juror is a man who has lived in Hennepin County for 47 years. He works retail at a large department store and has a degree in teaching.
Juror No. 3
The third juror is a man who has lived in Olmsted County for 55 years and has a bachelor's degree.
Juror No. 4
The fourth juror is a woman who has lived in Ramsey County for 18 years. She is a director of public affairs for the local government.
Juror No. 5
The fifth juror is a woman who has lived in Blue Earth County for 37 years. She is an accountant for a feed company and has a business administration degree.
Juror No. 6
The sixth juror is a woman who has lived in Washington County for 15 years. She works for a large local Co-op with her husband and has a bachelor's degree with a business minor.
Juror No. 7
The seventh juror is a man who has lived in Ramsey County for three years and is a state government project manager. He has a geology degree.
Juror No. 8
The eighth juror is a woman who has lived in Anoka County for 12 years. She is a customer relations manager.
Juror No. 9
The ninth juror is a woman who has lived in Jackson County for 16 years.
Juror No. 10
The 10th juror is man who has lived in Hennepin County for 30 years, and is a maintenance and facilities manager in Eden Prairie.
Juror No. 11
The 11th juror is a woman who has lived in Washington County for four or five years. She's a social worker and has her master's degree in social work.
Juror No. 12
The 12th juror is a woman who has lived in Scott County for 3.5 years. She has her master's degree.
ALTERNATES
- The first alternate is a man who has lived in Ramsey County for about 40 years. He has a data company in Eagan.
- The second alternate is a woman who has lived in Olmsted County for 19 years. She is a food service worker at a hospital.
- The third alternate is a retired woman who has lived in Nicollet County for eight years. She was a chef at an Indiana hospital.
- The fourth alternate is father of four who has lived in Ramsey County for about 30 years. He works in home mortgages at Wells Fargo.
- The fifth alternate is a retired man who has lived in Hennepin County for 71 years. He has his master's in business administration and worked as a global business manager at a corporation he worked at for 30 years. We was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
- The sixth alternate is a woman who has lived in Anoka County for six years. She's a publishing graphics specialist.