EXPLAINER: `Willfulness’ key to 2nd trial over Floyd killing

By MICHAEL TARM
AP Legal Affairs Writer

The concept of willfulness will be key to a verdict at the federal trial of three police officers accused of violating George Floyd’s rights almost two years ago as Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into the Black man’s neck. Courts themselves have struggled with how to apply the concept for over a century. When the Minnesota jurors start deliberations Wednesday, they may struggle with it, too. Dictionaries define it as purposeful adherence to an action or an obstinance to maintain a course regardless of rules. The legal definition is more complex and has evolved as courts have weighed in. In legal contexts, willfulness is not just intent to commit crimes; it is intent plus the prior knowledge that the action is against the law.