This criminal trial generated the most amount of pretrial publicity in history. More concerning are the riots which occurred after George Floyd’s death led the jurors to all express concerns for their safety in the event they acquitted Mr. Chauvin – safety concerns which were fully evidenced by surrounding the courthouse in barbed wire and national guard troops during the trial and deploying the national guard throughout Minneapolis prior to jury deliberations.

Based on these facts, Mr. Chauvin will now petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case on this fair trial issue under the Sixth Amendment.

[Scott Johnson published this statement for Mohrman after helping Chauvin find legal representation for his appeals. He has more about the appellate ruling that Mohrman wanted the state supreme court to review at this link. Now we’ll wait to see whether the US Supreme Court wants to look at the fair-trial implications of the circus surrounding the Chauvin trial. It might be something that the court’s conservatives and liberals will find common interest in discussing. — Ed]