Who Is Judge Regina Chu in the Kim Potter Trial?

U.S.|Who is Judge Regina Chu and who are the different cardinal players successful the Kimberly Potter trial?

The proceedings of Kimberly Potter, the erstwhile constabulary serviceman charged with manslaughter successful the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright during a postulation stop, is being streamed unrecorded connected tv and online.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer radical volition beryllium allowed successful the courtroom but the defendant, the jury, the justice and different tribunal staff, and lawyers for the prosecution and the defense. Three seats each volition besides beryllium reserved for relatives of Mr. Wright and Ms. Potter. Two seats volition beryllium reserved for a rotating excavation of journalists.

Here are the cardinal radical who are portion of the trial.

The Judge

• Judge Regina Chu has been a justice successful Hennepin County for astir 2 decades aft being appointed successful 2002 by Jesse Ventura, Minnesota’s politician astatine the time. She had antecedently worked successful a backstage instrumentality signifier and, successful the 1980s, for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

• Judge Chu earned her instrumentality grade from William Mitchell College of Law successful St. Paul, Minn., which is present known arsenic the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. She graduated with a bachelor’s grade from the University of Minnesota.

The Defendant

• Kimberly Potter, 49, had been an serviceman with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years until she resigned days aft Mr. Wright’s decease successful April. She told the justice during assemblage enactment that she intended to instrumentality the basal successful her ain defence during the trial.

• She is facing 2 felony charges, first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter, and would astir apt walk respective years successful situation if she is convicted connected either count.

The Jury

• The assemblage is made up of 12 superior jurors, arsenic good arsenic 2 alternates.

• The jurors were chosen implicit respective days done a process successful which prosecutors and Ms. Potter’s lawyers were capable to interrogation prospective jurors. The identities of the jurors volition not beryllium publically disclosed until aft the trial.

• Among the 12 superior jurors, six are men and six are women, and they scope successful property from their 20s to their 60s. Nine of the 12 jurors are white, 2 are Asian and 1 is Black. Hennepin County, from wherever the jurors were drawn, is astir 68 percent white, 14 percent Black, 8 percent Asian and 7 percent Latino.

The Prosecution

• Matthew Frank, an adjunct lawyer wide for Minnesota, is starring the prosecution. He prosecutes transgression cases for the office, which is tally by Attorney General Keith Ellison. The lawyer general’s bureau took connected the lawsuit successful May astatine the petition of the Hennepin County territory attorney.

• Erin Eldridge, an adjunct lawyer general, works successful the office’s transgression division. She was successful the courtroom passim assemblage enactment and, similar Mr. Frank, was progressive successful the prosecution of Derek Chauvin, the erstwhile Minneapolis constabulary serviceman who was convicted successful April of murdering George Floyd.

The Defense

• Representing Ms. Potter are Earl Gray, Paul Engh and Amanda Montgomery. Mr. Gray and Mr. Engh are portion of the ineligible defence money of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, a radical that represents thousands of instrumentality enforcement officers successful the state, and Ms. Montgomery works astatine Mr. Gray’s instrumentality firm.

• Mr. Gray besides is the lawyer for Thomas Lane, 1 of the 3 different officers charged successful Mr. Floyd’s death. Mr. Lane is scheduled to spell connected proceedings with the different officers successful March connected charges that helium aided and abetted second-degree execution and aided and abetted second-degree manslaughter successful Mr. Floyd’s death.