Derek Chauvin's Trial Judge Runs a Tight Ship -- Here's What We Know About Him
Each day, Judge Peter Cahill warmly greets jurors before they listen to hours of emotional and often tedious medical testimony. He puts the jurors at ease while running a tight ship. Those qualities are part of the reason Hennepin County District Court Chief Judge Toddrick Barnette selected Cahill to preside over the trials of Derek Chauvin and three other officers charged in George Floyd’s death.
“This moment, it’s not too big for him,” Judge Barnette said. “He’s going to base his decision on the law. And that decision could be unpopular with the public. But it’s going to be a sound legal decision.”
Cahill has been on the bench since 2007. Court observers have noticed how Cahill has made rulings that allow the prosecution and the defense leeway to try their respective cases. Judge Barnette said Cahill can handle a high volume in his courtroom while sticking to the trial schedule he outlined in court records.
Cahill has been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. He worked in the Hennepin County Attorney’s office when Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was the county attorney. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Hennepin Co. Public Defender’s Office and also worked in private practice. “He was a prosecutor. He was a public defender. He is very conversant in criminal law, which is important. He has pretty good temperament,” said former Hennepin Co. Public Defender Mary Moriarty.
https://lawandcrime.com/live-trials/live-trials-current/george-floyd-death/derek-chauvins-trial-judge-runs-a-tight-ship-heres-what-we-know-about-him/
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