Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Mitchell Hamline legal expertise and context to help people better understand the Chauvin trial

This Mitchell Hamline resource page will serve as a hub for the school’s legal expertise to help the public better understand the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd in 2020.

“State v. Derek Chauvin might be one of the most impactful cases tried in Minnesota in the past several decades,” said Rick Petry, program manager in Mitchell Hamline’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and an adjunct professor. “The legal issues in this matter are complex and some remain unsettled,” Petry said. “The outcome of the case will, I suspect, reverberate globally.”

Learn more about Mitchell Hamline’s curriculum offerings in criminal law

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Faculty experts

Criminal law

Brad Colbert

Former state public defender who directs Mitchell Hamline’s Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) clinic, which offers several different kinds of assistance to Minnesota prisoners.
brad.colbert @mitchellhamline.edu

Ted Sampsell-Jones

Professor of law at Mitchell Hamline; has done several media appearances and has been writing several pieces for The Dispatch on many aspects of the trial .
ted.sampselljones @mitchellhamline.edu

Joseph Daly

Emeritus professor whose areas of expertise include both criminal law and arbitration. Daly is a labor arbitrator for the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services.
j.daly @hamline.edu

Rick Petry

Program manager for Mitchell Hamline’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department and also an adjunct/affiliated professor. His career before his Mitchell Hamline days included representing individuals and companies for nearly 20 years in criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and real estate matters as a trial attorney. He’s represented clients in civil suits against police officers and also represented police officers.
rick.petry @mitchellhamline.edu

Kate Kruse

Professor of law who previously clerked for federal judge Barbara Crabb. She has extensive knowledge of criminal law and has worked for years on clinic legal education, which brings law students into courtrooms and other legal settings to work for clients in areas criminal appeals, family law for prisoners, mental health law, elder law, and juvenile justice. She also directed the Innocence Clinic at UNLV.
kate.kruse @mitchellhamline.edu

John Radsan (requests for print and online outlets only, please)

Professor of law who previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney and assistant general counsel at the CIA. He has extensive law enforcement and intelligence community experience.
john.radsan @mitchellhamline.edu

Carolyn Grose

Professor of law who has developed and taught courses in Family Law, Evidence, Trusts & Estates, Advocacy, and Critical Lawyering.
carolyn.grose @mitchellhamline.edu

Media and cameras in the courtroom

Raleigh Levine

Expert on cameras in the courtroom. This is the first court case to ever be fully livestreamed in Minnesota.
raleigh.levine @mitchellhamline.edu

Trial documents

View all the public documents filed in the case

Mitchell Hamline alumni involved in the case

Mitchell Hamline alums Matthew Frank ’91 and Steven Schliecher ’95 were part of the prosecutorial team for the state of Minnesota. Eric Nelson ’01 was the defense attorney who represented Derek Chauvin.

Schleicher appeared in this “60 Minutes” report on Apr. 26, 2021.

Who are the key players in the Derek Chauvin trial? New York Times (Apr. 20, 2021)

Police Officers on Trial: A Series of Panel Discussions

Mitchell Hamline has organized a series of panel discussions, open to the public, about the Chauvin trial and also the trial of the other three officers implicated in the death of George Floyd. The second trial is scheduled to begin in August.

The dates below could change based on developments in the trials and availability of participants, but updates will be posted here.

A Pre-Trial Discussion

This panel discussion took place March 23, 2021. It was moderated by Rick Petry and featured Thomas Heffelfinger, former United States attorney for the District of Minnesota, Mitchell Hamline Professor Joanna Woolman, and criminal defense attorney Ryan Pacyga ‘02.

A Post-Trial Discussion

April 27, 2021, at 6 pm

A Pre-Trial Discussion Regarding Accomplice Liability for Police Officers

August 17, 2021, at 6 pm

A Post-Trial Discussion Regarding Accomplice Liability for Police Officers

October 12, 2021, at 6 pm