Prosecutor in George Floyd Case to Speak at Duke’s MLK Commemoration Jan. 19

The public event starts at 3 p.m. in Duke Chapel

Jerry Blackwell
Jerry Blackwell was a special prosecutor who helped obtain the murder conviction of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of Floyd on a Minneapolis street on May 25, 2020.

Judge Jerry Blackwell, a member of the prosecution team that won a murder conviction for the killing of George Floyd, will deliver the keynote talk at Duke University’s annual MLK Commemoration on Sunday, Jan. 19.

The public event starts at 3 p.m. in Duke Chapel; Duke will livestream the commemoration on YouTube. 

The theme of this year’s event is “Hope Powered by Community: Protecting King’s Dream through Determination and Unity.” 

“We are excited to hear Judge Blackwell reflect on his role in the prosecution of Derek Chauvin on the 5thanniversary of the murder of George Floyd and the opportunities he sees as a federal judge,” said Kimberly Hewitt, vice president for institutional equity and chief diversity officer at Duke.  

“We look forward to this celebration as our country continues to struggle to realize Dr. King’s dream. We want to encourage a sense of hope and optimism.”

Blackwell was a special prosecutor who helped obtain the murder conviction of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of Floyd on a Minneapolis street on May 25, 2020. One of nine private attorneys on the 13-member prosecution team who donated their time to the case, Blackwell offered the opening statements and closing arguments.

“We look forward to this celebration as our country continues to struggle to realize Dr. King’s dream. We want to encourage a sense of hope and optimism.”

Kimberly Hewitt, vice president for institutional equity and chief diversity officer at Duke

President Biden nominated Blackwell to a seat on the U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota in 2022, a year after the conviction. The U.S. Senate confirmed him in December of that year.

Blackwell is a founding partner, CEO and chairman of Blackwell Burke law firm in Minneapolis.

A native of Kannapolis, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from the UNC School of Law.

Blackwell is a founder of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. His awards include the 2020 Minnesota Attorney of the Year with law partner Corey L. Gordon for their work in securing Minnesota’s first posthumous pardon of a Black man wrongfully convicted in 1920 for the rape of a white woman.