The judge in Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s claimed that “defund the police” “idiots” made it difficult to carry out the trial — but insists he gave the man convicted of killing George Floyd a fair shake.
In his first interview since the high-profile trial, retired Judge Peter Cahill, 66, gave insight into his attempts to manage the media circus and specifically called out the Minneapolis city council for making the situation worse through toxic politics, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
“It did not help that people were saying ‘defund the police’ — all these idiots on the Minneapolis City Council,” Cahill told the outlet.
Cahill further called out the Minneapolis City Council for announcing a record pre-trial $27 million settlement to Floyd’s family as the jury was preparing for their duties back in 2021.
The retired jurist had a glib response for critics who suggested the judge should have consented to the defense’s calls for a change of venue for the trial.
“What, are we going to change the venue to Mars?,” he told the outlet.
Later in the interview he defended his decision to have the trial broadcast live to millions over live stream.
Due to COVID-era social distancing policies, only 6 people were permitted to be in the court room, which he believed was contrary to the US Constitution’s guarantee to a public trial.
“The six seats were designated for family members. So is that a public trial?,” Cahill asked in the interview.
The 66-year-old further expressed frustration with politicians who were adding fuel to the fire, including then-President Joe Biden who commented publicly about the jury reaching the “right verdict” and Rep. Maxine Waters who urged protesters to be confrontational.
Cahill stated that he was “pissed off” by a New York Times report that outlined the terms of a potential 10-year plea deal for Chauvin before the trial even started, the Star Tribune reported.
The judge also said he had a “bias” towards police officers, which is something he consciously attempted to put aside during the Chauvin trial.
“Part of my training is to check my bias. And to be honest, I think I have a pro-police bias… that I have to be careful not to act on,” the retired judge said, adding contextually that his brother is a police officer in Wisconsin.
Despite taking aim at several left-wing groups, Cahill said he “hated extremists” and “crazies” “on both sides” and also took aim at the right-wing.
“The far right, you know, their daily bread is revisionist history. But in this particular instance, it’s a lack of trust in the judicial system as a whole, and the jury system, and that’s concerning,” Cahill told the Star Tribune.
“I think what concerns me most about the revisionist history is the lack of confidence in the judicial process – not even the system or the judges, the judicial process,” he said.
“We had 12 jurors from a variety of backgrounds who gave it good consideration. And I bet if you interviewed them, they’d say they don’t regret their decision,” the judge contended.
Though confident in how he handled the controversial case, Cahill revealed that he changed the frame of his glasses so he’s less likely to be recognized.
“I changed my look so I don’t look like that Chauvin judge,” he told the outlet.
The jurist also revealed that he received a warm letter from fellow retired judge Lance Ito, who famously oversaw the OJ Simpson trial, which wished him “peace and wisdom,” the outlet reported.
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