As previously posted, Maxine Waters issued a threat lasy week that if Chauvin wasn’t found guilty then the city would burn.
Yesterday, Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, argued that Waters comments could have prejudiced the jury and thus asked for a mistrial.
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill denied Nelson’s motion but said that Waters comments could give the defense “something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned.”
Judge Cahill added: “This goes back to what I’ve been saying from the beginning, I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function. Their failure to do so is abhorrent, but I don’t think it has presented us with additional information that would prejudice the jury.”