Supreme Court rejects ex-cop Chauvin’s appeal

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of his conviction for the murder of George Floyd during a 2020 arrest, which sparked widespread protests against police brutality and racism.

The justices turned away Chauvin’s appeal that he filed after a Minnesota appellate court upheld his 2021 murder conviction and rejected his request for a new trial. Chauvin had argued that jury bias and certain rulings by the presiding judge deprived him of his right to a fair trial under the U.S. Constitution’s Sixth Amendment.

Chauvin, who is white, is serving a 22-and-ahalf-year prison sentence for murdering Floyd, who was Black, by kneeling on a handcuffed Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest.

Floyd’s murder triggered protests in many cities in the United States and in other countries and focused attention on the issue of racial justice.

Chauvin, now 47, was found guilty by a 12-member jury in April 2021 of three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter following a three-week trial that included testimony from 45 witnesses, including bystanders, police officials and medical experts.

The guilty verdict marked a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement’s treatment of Black Americans.