Derek Chauvin was one of four officers of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) involved in the arrest of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a market.

[9][10] Minnesota Governor Tim Walz publicly thanked Frazier saying, "Taking that video, I think many folks know, is maybe the only reason that Derek Chauvin will go to prison".

[24] On August 29, 2020, Chauvin's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming that Floyd most likely died as a result of drug use and preexisting medical conditions.

On the same day, prosecutors moved to increase potential sentences for the four officers beyond the guidelines for all four accused, arguing that Floyd was vulnerable while being held down on the ground in handcuffs and was treated cruelly.

[1] The prosecution team included Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank, serving as the lead prosecutor, Jerry W. Blackwell, Steven Schleicher, and Erin Eldridge.

[3][2] Ellison brought in a team of attorneys from Hogan Lovells after Georgetown Law School Professor Neal Katyal, a former acting Solicitor General of the United States, offered to assist in crafting strategy and motions.

[39] Katyal said that Ellison invited the mother of Eric Garner to the prosecution's daily meeting and that her presence highlighted how the Chauvin case was also an effort "to achieve a measure of justice for all the Black families who have lost loved ones to police violence but never saw a courtroom.

[41] Chauvin was represented by defense attorney Eric Nelson, compensated by the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association, which provides services to its members.

[42] On December 22, 2020, prospective jurors in Hennepin County were mailed a questionnaire asking about their views on the criminal justice system, the police, and social movements.

[100] Tobin, an expert in respiratory failure, disagreed with defense witness Fowler's contention that carbon monoxide from the squad car may have played a role in Floyd's death.

[130] In a statement, Chauvin expressed his condolences to the Floyd family, saying that "[t]here's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind.

[135] Protests, rallies, and marches occurred outside of the courthouse, which officials surrounded with a temporary concrete barrier, metal fencing, and barbed wire in anticipation of civil unrest.

[136] In early 2021, Minneapolis and Hennepin County officials spent $1 million on fencing and barricades for government buildings and police stations in anticipation of civil unrest during the trial.

[139] On March 8, about a thousand protesters gathered peacefully outside the courthouse to call for justice for Floyd and raise broader issues of racial injustice.

[143] On March 29, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden would "be watching [the trial] closely", would not weigh in while it is ongoing and was not in touch with Floyd's family ahead of it.

[147] On April 19, California Representative Maxine Waters said if Chauvin was not found guilty of murder, members of the George Floyd protests "gotta stay on the street, we've got to get more active, we've got to get more confrontational, we've got to make sure that they know that we mean business".

[151] Following the verdict, Republican Senators Tim Scott of South Carolina and Mike Braun of Indiana made statements indicating support for the ruling.

[152] Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, spoke in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Attorney General Ellison objected, fearing that it might intimidate the witnesses, but a coalition of the defense, news outlets, and, ultimately, Cahill disagreed.

[160] Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman and trial lawyers Steve Schleider, Jerry Blackwell and Matthew Frank were among those who spoke at Ellison's post-trial press conference.

"[164] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed the verdict and said that Americans had seen "accountability for the murder of George Floyd", but warned about continuing alleged systemic racism in the United States.

In Spain, the ABC commented that the trial had "shaken the country for the past year and once again dragged the world's oldest and most stable democracy before the mirror of racial inequalities."

In Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that while "the moment is undoubtedly significant ... no one in the US, least of all African Americans, is naive enough to believe the verdict marks an end to racial inequality or police brutality in America."

The English-language website of China's state-run Global Times said: "Former US police officer Derek Chauvin found guilty of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death.

Speaking on Steve Bannon's podcast War Room, former President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani suggested that the case "was subverted by the media, by Maxine Waters, and numerous other public officials."

[168] On April 20, 2021, American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson claimed on Fox News that the jurors who found Chauvin guilty were threatened into doing so by Black Lives Matter protests, rather than being swayed by witness testimony or visceral video of Floyd's murder.

"[169] A poll conducted by CBS News found that 75% of Americans believed that the jury reached the right verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin.

Among White Americans, 90% of Democrats polled believed the right verdict was reached while only 54% of Republicans found the guilty decision to be correct.

Polling showed that the 25% who believe that the jury did not reach the right decision also "strongly disagree[d]" with the beliefs of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Chauvin's attorneys sought a new trial outside the Hennepin County Government Center, which had been surrounded by security fencing and National Guard troops in preparation for potential civil unrest.