Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck while he was handcuffed face down on the street. Police were investigating whether Floyd used a counterfeit bill at a nearby store. In a video widely seen on social media, Floyd could be heard pleading with officers for air, saying he couldn't breathe.
Floyd's death sparked protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere and renewed calls for an end to police brutality and racial inequities.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. Former officers Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Defence attorneys had argued last year that the officers should be tried separately, since each officer might seek to diminish his own role in Floyd's arrest and death might point fingers at the other officers. Prosecutors had argued against dividing the trial, saying the evidence against all four is similar, the officers acted together and the public and witnesses should be spared the trauma of multiple trials.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is prosecuting the case, said Tuesday that he disagrees with Cahill's decision to separate the trials and to hold Chauvin's in March.
"The evidence against each defendant is similar and multiple trials may retraumatise eyewitnesses and family members and unnecessarily burden the State and the Court while also running the risk of prejudicing subsequent jury pools," Ellison said in a statement. "It is also clear that Covid-19 will still be a serious threat to public health in eight weeks' time ... Nevertheless, we are fully prepared and look forward to presenting our case to a jury whenever the Court deems fit."
Lane's attorney, Earl Gray, said he thinks it's better for his client to have a trial separate from Chauvin.
"In a joint trial, there's always a spillover effect no matter what. You know a jury is supposed to consider each client separately, but that's hard for anyone to do — common sense tells you that," Gray said.
Attorneys for Kueng and Chauvin had no comment on the judge's ruling. Thao's attorney did not return a message seeking comment.
Thao, Kueng and Lane are now scheduled to stand trial together beginning August 23.