Hennepin County judge issues gag order in trial of police charged in George Floyd killing

The judge presiding over the cases against four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd issued a gag order Thursday prohibiting attorneys and others related to the cases from publicly divulging "opinions, strategies, plans or potential evidence."

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill issued the unusual order a day after two defense attorneys, Earl Gray and Thomas Plunkett, spoke to the Star Tribune in response to Gray's motion to dismiss the charges against his client, Thomas Lane.

"The court finds that continuing pretrial publicity in this case by the attorneys involved will increase the risk of tainting a potential jury pool and will impair all parties' right to a fair trial," Cahill wrote. He said it covers "all parties, attorneys, their employees, agents or independent contractors working on their behalf."

https://www.startribune.com/judge-issues-gag-order-in-trial-of-ex-officers-in-george-floyd-killing/571693042/