Judge Cahill signed Amir Locke no-knock warrant and ran Derek Chauvin trial

Do tell…

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Well, this is awkward.

We spent a lot of time discussing Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill last year. He was the magistrate who presided over the most socially significant case of police brutality in the modern era, the case against former officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Now, Cahill is once again embroiled in a case that is starting to gain more and more traction every day.

According to KARE11, Judge Cahill is the one who signed off on the no-knock warrant that lead to the police shooting death of Amir Locke. For those who haven’t been following the case, Locke was asleep under a blanket inside an apartment that was raided by the SWAT team. When he was awakened by the sound of shouting men he was holding his legally purchased firearm and was instantly gunned down by  Minneapolis Police Department officer Mark Hanneman. KARE11 contacted the Hennepin County Courts to double confirm information that was given to them by “a source with knowledge of the investigation”. Here’s what they got in reply:

“The warrant granting authority to search the apartment is not publicly available so the Court cannot comment whether Judge Cahill specifically signed that application,” the spokesman, Matt Lehman, said. “Judge Cahill cannot comment on this particular application or any application for a search warrant because the Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct (Rule 2.10) prohibits judges or Court staff from commenting on active or pending cases.”

Sounds like the city is going to follow protocol but we suggest taking their statement with as many grains of salt as you can find in your kitchen.

To add another layer of shenanigans to the equation, Rolling Stone is reporting that several of the police officers who participated in the no-knock warrant were already under investigation for “hunting” Black Lives Matter protesters. In May of 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s viral murder, two of the officers on the Locke raid were ordered to “f*** em up” as part of the city’s effort to intimidate citizens. One of their commanders was heard on a body camera was heard describing the mission as “goin’ out hunting.”