Former Minneapolis police officer says judge's courtroom restrictions violate constitutional right to open trial

The attorney for J. Alexander Kueng objected to an order to keep the public out of the courtroom.

May 16, 2022 at 4:09PM
Former Minneapolis police officer J. Alexander Kueng, center, walked out of the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility Monday afternoon with his attorney Thomas Plunkett. ] GLEN STUBBE • glen.stubbe@startribune.com Monday, June 29, 2020 All four former officers charged in the killing of George Floyd will appear in court one-at-a-time Monday starting at 12:15 p.m. Derek Chauvin will appear remotely via remote TV. Two of his former colleagues, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, have posted bond should have to use public entrances. The third, Tou Thao, remains in custody. The hearing, an omnibus hearing, is typically procedural, but attorneys for Kueng and Lane have been uncharacteristically aggressive in court so far. Earl Gray may argue for the dismissal of charges against Lane. What’s Happening at this time: Reporter name: Chao Xiong. Reporter cell: 612-270-4708/c. Two of the former cops, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, should have to enter the public safety facility via public entrances. Derek Chauvin will not be there; he’s appearing via TV. Tou Thao remains in custody at the county jail. Defense attorneys are: Earl Gray, Robert Paule, Thomas Plunkett and Eric NelsonProsecutor: Matthew Frank (Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

An attorney for former Minneapolis police officer J. Alexander Kueng says a judge's restrictions limiting public access at and around his coming trial violate his client's constitutional rights.

In a list of objections filed Friday, Thomas Plunkett challenged Judge Peter Cahill's directive to bar any members of the public from watching the proceedings from inside the courtroom, calling this a "closure of the courtroom" that violates "Kueng's right to an open trial under the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Plunkett also objected to Cahill's order that no one shall be permitted on the 18th floor of the courthouse, where the trial is taking place, without approved credentials or identification.

Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death. Leading up to their trial, set to begin next month, Cahill has issued unusually tight restrictions on courtroom access for the high-profile proceedings.

Last month, against the objections of prosecutors and a media coalition, Cahill ruled the trial won't be livestreamed because the threat of COVID-19 has diminished since last year, when he allowed the audio and visual broadcasting of Derek Chauvin's trial.

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Andy Mannix

Minneapolis crime and policing reporter

Andy Mannix covers Minneapolis crime and policing for the Star Tribune. 

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