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Peter A. Cahill
Peter A. Cahill is a judge for Position 32 of the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District. He assumed office in 2007. His current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Cahill ran for re-election for the Position 32 judge of the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
In 2021, Cahill was the presiding judge in the case State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin, which charged Chauvin with the unlawful killing of George Floyd in 2020. Click here for more information.
Biography
Education
Cahill received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota in 1981 and 1984, respectively.[1]
Career
- 2007-Present: Judge, Fourth Judicial District
- July 2012-2015: Chief judge, Fourth Judicial District
- July 2010-June 2012: Assistant chief judge, Fourth Judicial District
- January 2010-June 2012: Criminal Division
- October 2008-December 2009: Drug Court
- May 2007-October 2008: Criminal Division
- 2000-2007: Chief deputy attorney, Hennepin County
- 1999-2000: Managing attorney, Hennepin County Juvenile Prosecution Division
- 1997-1999: Assistant Hennepin County attorney, Violent Crimes Division
- 1993-1997: Attorney, Cahill Law Office
- 1987-1993: Partner, Colich & Cahill Law
- 1984-1987: Assistant public defender, Hennepin County[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Hennepin County, Minnesota (2020)
General election
General election for Minnesota 4th District Court Position 32
Incumbent Peter A. Cahill won election in the general election for Minnesota 4th District Court Position 32 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Peter A. Cahill (Nonpartisan) | 99.0 | 333,122 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 3,378 | ||
| Total votes: 336,500 | |||
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2014
See also: Minnesota judicial elections, 2014
Cahill ran for re-election to the Fourth Judicial District.
Primary: He ran unopposed in the primary on August 12, 2014.
General: He was unopposed in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[2]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Peter A. Cahill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy cases
On April 20, 2021, the jury in the trial of police officer Derek Chauvin found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.[3][4] On June 25, 2021, Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 and a half years in prison.[5]
The trial in the case of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin began on March 8, 2021. It charged Chauvin with the unlawful killing of George Floyd in 2020.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presided over the case. Cahill assumed office in 2007 and was county deputy attorney before then. The jury in the trial was selected on March 23, and opening statements were made on March 29. Closing statements were made on April 19.[6]
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, a Black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill.[7] Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs.[8] Both the Hennepin County medical examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident.[9] The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process."[9]
Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to activity regarding racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26.[10] An event in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host an event in response to Floyd's death.[11]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Judge Cahill"
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 7, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Jury reaches verdict in Chauvin trial," April 20, 2021
- ↑ The New York Times, "Derek Chauvin Trial Live Updates: Chauvin Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd," April 20, 2021
- ↑ ABC News, "Live updates: Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 and a half years in death of George Floyd," June 25, 2021
- ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "27-CR-20-12646: State vs. Derek Chauvin," accessed April 16, 2021
- ↑ Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑ CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
- ↑ CBS Chicago, "Protest Held In Chicago After Death Of George Floyd During Arrest By Minneapolis Police," May 26, 2020
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota
State courts:
Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
State resources:
Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota
