The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of former police officer Derek Chauvin for a new trial in the murder of George Floyd.
Driving the news: Chauvin and his legal team argued that his trial was held during a time of political turmoil, and the jury was influenced by the possibility of violent riots if he had been acquitted.
- The Minnesota Supreme Court also declined to hear the case, upholding Chauvin’s conviction.
The big picture: Chauvin is currently serving a prison sentence of more than 22 years for the murder of George Floyd.
- Chauvin recently filed a separate motion claiming new evidence that he believes exonerates him, including a theory from a Kansas pathologist who suggests Floyd died from complications of a rare tumor called a paraganglioma.
- Chauvin is seeking to have his civil rights conviction thrown out and to have a new trial or a hearing to present the new evidence.
- Floyd’s death, which occurred after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly 10 minutes, sparked widespread protests and riots across the US.
