"First, the defense struck Juror #1. She said she had trouble with English. She sounded like someone who struggled with the language, and the Mexican immigrant needed her husband to read her the questions from the juror questionnaire, which were posed in English. Well, her husband and Google translate. Judge Cahill did not, however, strike her from the jury pool, and in fact, denied the defense motion to do likewise. So, the defense used a peremptory challenge, and she was sent home.

Later in the day, Chauvin’s defense challenged another potential juror for cause. Because he “identified as Hispanic” and because Juror #1 was also Hispanic and challenged by the defense, prosecutors cried foul. To them, there was no reason besides race the defense moved to strike a barely English literate potential juror, along with a man who said he knew about martial arts and that Chauvin used an “illegal” move on George Floyd. In response to the Batson challenge, the court responded by examining the lawyer’s motivations in open court.

Judge Cahill agreed the defense had a race-neutral reason for striking the jurors, as any non-woke or social justice warrior type would concede. One hopes this means race-baiting and trading on emotions and energy rather than the evidence will not rule this trial."