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The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Derek Chauvin’s request for a public defender, as the former Minneapolis cop prepares to appeal his murder conviction in the death of George Floyd.
Chief Justice Lorie Gildea signed an order that Chauvin failed to prove he was eligible for representation as a public defender, according to the Star Tribune.
The court determined that Chauvin had not shown that he was too poor to pay for a private lawyer. Gildea, however, did not reveal more details regarding its assets or debts, according to the Star Tribune.
The Chief Justice wrote in the order, citing state law, that a defendant is considered too poor to provide his own lawyer if “the defendant, through a combination of liquid assets and current income “is unable to finance its own lawyer.
The former police officer claimed in an affidavit that he had no income other than the nominal prison salary he received, according to the Associated Press. He argued that his debts are greater than his assets.
Chauvin also said he currently does not have legal representation for his appeal.
The state Supreme Court ruling upheld that of Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill, who presided over Chauvin’s trial in the spring, media reported.
Chauvin, however, is allowed to file another public attorney request if he is unable to cover the costs of an attorney, the AP reported.
A jury found Chauvin guilty of all three counts against him in April this year, including second degree murder, second degree manslaughter and third degree murder. He was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison and is currently being held at the Minnesota Correctional Center in Oak Park Heights.
Chauvin is now appealing this decision. He filed documents last month in which he writes that he found 14 problems with the court process, including that the district court abused its authority when it rejected a request from the former policeman to change the place of trial.
He also challenged the court’s rejection of Chauvin’s request to sequester the jury.
Chauvin, during his trial in the spring, was represented by Eric Nelson. According to the Star Tribune, this representation was paid for by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.
The group will not fund Chauvin’s legal representation for the appeal, however, according to the newspaper.
“I was informed that their obligation to pay for my performance ended upon my conviction and conviction,” Chauvin wrote in his affidavit, according to the AP.
The Hill contacted the Minnesota Supreme Court for more information.
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