Judge Peter A. Cahill is a 14-year veteran of the bench in Hennepin County. He has so far won praise in Derek Chauvin’s trial. Over the prosecution’s objections, Judge Cahill ordered that the trial be televised, a first in Minnesota, because public access to the courtroom was limited by the Covid-19 pandemic. In a lengthy 2015 decision, Judge Cahill dismissed charges against the organizers of a large Black Lives Matter rally at the Mall of America, saying the demonstration had been peaceful. As a prosecutor, he argued against a State Supreme Court ruling that limited police officers’ ability to question and search motorists without a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

Source: New York Times March 29, 2021 19:40 UTC