Jerry W. Blackwell

Jerry Wayne Blackwell (born 1962)[1] is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Before becoming a judge, he was one of the prosecutors in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

Jerry Blackwell
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
Assumed office
December 20, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded bySusan Richard Nelson
Personal details
Born
Jerry Wayne Blackwell

1962 (age 60–61)
Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S.
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BS, JD)

Education

Blackwell earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1987.[2][3]

Career

From 1987 to 2022, Blackwell was a lawyer in private practice.[4] He worked as a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP in Minneapolis from 1987 to 1996 and Nilan Johnson Lewis from 1996 to 2000. From 2000 to 2006, he was a partner at Blackwell Igbanugo in Edina, Minnesota,[5] one of the nation's largest Black-owned law firms before it was dissolved.[6] In 2006, he co-founded the law firm Blackwell Burke in Minneapolis.[5][2]

Notable cases

During his career, Blackwell represented Prince.[7][8][9]

In 2020, Blackwell obtained a posthumous pardon of Max Mason, a Black man who was falsely convicted and executed in Duluth, Minnesota, for the rape of a White woman in 1920.[10]

Blackwell was a special assistant state attorney general for the prosecution during the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd.[11][12] Blackwell served as a pro bono prosecutor and delivered the opening statement and closing argument for the prosecution.[13] In closing, he said to the jury, "You were told, for example, that Mr. Floyd died because his heart was too big. You heard that testimony. Now having seen all the evidence, having heard all the evidence, you know the truth. And the truth of the matter is that the reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin's heart was too small."[14]

Federal judicial service

On June 15, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Blackwell to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota to the seat vacated by Judge Susan Richard Nelson, who assumed senior status on December 31, 2021.[15] On July 27, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[16] On September 15, 2022, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote, Senator Thom Tillis "passed" on the vote.[17] On December 1, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 54–42 vote.[18] On December 7, 2022, his nomination was confirmed by a 51–43 vote.[19] He received his judicial commission on December 20, 2022.[4]

Personal life

Blackwell is a hobby farmer and beekeeper.[20]

See also

References
  1. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  2. "President Biden Names Nineteenth Round of Judicial Nominees". The White House. June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  3. "Jerry W. Blackwell". Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  4. Jerry W. Blackwell at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  5. Sam Black, "Disputes lead to split of top black-owned law firm", Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, November 19, 2006. (subscription required)
  6. Wagner, Rose (June 15, 2022). "Seven new judicial nominees put Biden over the 100-pick marker". www.courthousenews.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  7. "Prince: 5 years after his death, how the Purple One lives on". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  8. "The Prince 'Purple House' in Chanhassen is leveled". prince.org. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  9. Voruganti, Harsh (July 18, 2022). "Jerry Blackwell – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota". The Vetting Room. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  10. Shropshire, Terry (March 30, 2021). "Who is Jerry Blackwell, the prosecutor in Derek Chauvin's murder trial?". Rolling Out. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  11. "Biden's Planned Nominee Would Be DC Circuit's First Latino (2)". news.bloomberglaw.com.
  12. "Jerry W. Blackwell, prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin trial, to speak with Jones and Lovelace on Race, Policing, and Activism". Duke University School of Law. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  13. "Biden nominates prosecutor who helped convict Derek Chauvin to become a federal judge". June 15, 2022.
  14. "Derek Chauvin's 'heart was too small,' prosecutor says in last word to jury". news.yahoo.com. April 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  15. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. June 15, 2022.
  16. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. July 26, 2022.
  17. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 15, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  18. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Jerry W. Blackwell to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota)". United States Senate. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  19. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Jerry W. Blackwell, of Minnesota, to be United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota)". United States Senate. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  20. "Meet the prosecutor who helped convict Derek Chauvin". MPR News. May 24, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
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