Snow melts at the George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis.
Court TV, the cable network that famously came into its own during the O.J. Simpson murder case in 1995, is now offering extensive coverage of the murder trial around the death of George Floyd.
Daily coverage began this week with the jury selection. Court TV boasts that it will be the only network in the world to cover the proceedings “live and in their entirety.” It is likely to be among the most closely watched legal events in recent U.S. history.
This is the first time ever in Minnesota that a judge has authorized cameras to show a full criminal trial.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Footage showing Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd’s neck while three police colleagues looked on, went viral on social media and sparked a global uproar against police brutality and racism.
The four officers will be tried in the case, with Chauvin being tried separately and facing murder charges in the first of the trials.
“The death of George Floyd was a watershed moment in our country,” said Scott Tufts, Court TV Senior Vice President, in a media release “Given the cultural impact it had from the beginning, this trial is one that needs full transparency, and we are pleased that Hennepin County court officials share that view. Our team has been working with them for months to ensure that cameras would be allowed in the courtroom and that all viewers would have full access to the proceedings.”
Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao — face charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. They are scheduled to be tried in the summer.
All four have been fired by the Police Department.
According to The Washington Post, executives at Court TV’s Atlanta headquarters have enlisted their entire 75-person editorial staff to work on the case, dispatching about 20 people to Minneapolis in a bid to once again become a go-to legal-news destination.
Court TV’s on-air team of anchors, legal correspondents and veteran journalists — anchors Vinnie Politan, Julie Grant, Ted Rowlands and Michael Ayala, with additional on-the-ground reporting from legal correspondents Julia Jenaé and Chanley Painter — will lead the analysis of the Chauvin trial.
Court TV’s coverage will include new virtual recreations, and insights and discussions from attorneys, investigators and forensic experts.
