Why is the trial of Derek Chavin taking so long? Why is there even a court case?

In the US, everyone gets the right to a trial by jury.
Chauvin and his defense attorneys get to examine all the evidence, cross-examine all the witnesses, and dispute any assumptions or conclusions made by other people. They get to do this in front of a jury.

There is no such thing as "we all know he did it" - at least as far as the courts are concerned. If we let even one person get punished because "we all know they did it", then the entire system is useless. We can just appoint people to decide if they all "know", and avoid all the expense of courts and trials. Of course, if the people who "know" have any reason to be biased, then the rest of us might all get convicted, too.

/r/NoStupidQuestions Thread