Derek Chauvin’s attorney requested an appeals court to overturn the George Floyd murder conviction.

According to CBS News, William Mohrman, Chauvin's attorney, said before the Minnesota Court of Appeals that his client did not receive a fair trial.

"The primary issue on this appeal is whether a criminal defendant can get a fair trial consistent with constitutional requirements in a courthouse surrounded by concrete block, barbed wire, two armored personnel carriers, and a squad of National Guard troops, all of which or whom are there for one purpose: in the event that the jury acquits the defendant," Mohrman said.

Neal Katyal, special attorney for the state, insisted Chauvin received "one of the most transparent and thorough trials in our nation's history. ... Chauvin's many arguments before this court do not come close to justifying reversal." He also argued the judge “managed this trial with enormous care, and even if Chauvin could identify some minor fault, any error is harmless. The evidence of Chauvin's guilt was captured on video for the world to see."

Chauvin, along with three other former Minneapolis officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng, was indicted by a federal grand jury, accusing them of depriving Floyd, 46, of his rights while exercising the authority of a government agency. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, when, in an attempt to arrest him, he was pinned to the ground under Chauvin’s knee for nearly nine minutes.

Chauvin was found guilty of violating Floyd’s civil rights. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Chauvin to 21 years in prison, with credit time served, making the sentence 20 years and five months. Thao, Lane, and Kueng were convicted in February of federal civil rights violations. In July, a federal judge sentenced Kueng to three years in prison and Thao to 3 ½ years. In September, Lane was sentenced to three years in prison.