University of St. Thomas School of Law Professor Mark Osler spoke to MPR News on the jury selection in the criminal trial of DFL State Sen. Nicole Mitchell.
From the story:
A jury was seated Monday in the criminal trial of a DFL state senator, Nicole Mitchell, who is facing two felony counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into the Detroit Lakes home of her stepmother in April 2024. ...
According to court documents, Mitchell, a first term DFL senator from Woodbury, allegedly told police she went to her stepmother’s home on April 22, 2024, to retrieve items belonging to her late father, including his ashes. ...
Former state and federal prosecutor Mark Osler, now a law professor at the University of St. Thomas, said the Mitchell trial is unique among prosecutions of politicians because it involves an alleged burglary, rather than political corruption or malfeasance. And he said the case is somewhat complex for both the prosecution and the defense.
“The fact that it’s kind of an intrafamily dispute underneath all of this does complicate it in terms of, you know, people can be conflicted about testifying,” Osler said. “You’ve got divided loyalties amongst other family members, and often mixed feelings all around. And so, it does complicate it in terms of the task of bringing forth testimony.”
