Overview
- Chauvin’s lawyers filed a third petition on Tuesday seeking to vacate his state conviction for George Floyd’s 2020 death and to dismiss the charges as unlawfully brought.
- The petition says no grand jury was ever convened to consider an indictment and contends Governor Tim Walz improperly delegated prosecutorial authority to Attorney General Keith Ellison.
- Court papers note a Hennepin County prosecutor withdrew from the case and disputed the decision to add a second-degree murder charge, which Chauvin’s team cites as evidence of flawed charging choices.
- This is Chauvin’s third post-conviction bid after earlier petitions were dismissed, and the filing asks the appeals court to pause his current appeal so a trial court can rule on the new claims.
- Even if Minnesota courts vacate the state verdict, Chauvin remains in federal custody serving a separate federal civil-rights sentence, and legal experts say the structural-error claims face a steep burden in court.