Minnesota Judge Peter Cahill on Thursday granted a request by prosecutors to reinstate a charge of third degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was already on trial facing second degree murder in manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd, I have to follow the rule that the Court of Appeals has put in place.

Judge Cahill's decision comes after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled last Friday that he must reconsider a third degree murder charge against Chauvin, whose trial got underway with jury selection this week in Minneapolis.

The reinstatement of a third degree murder charge was a victory for state prosecutors, who sought the lesser charge in part to afford them an extra path to a conviction should the jury find the evidence does not support the most serious charge.

The third degree murder charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.

Chauvin's charges stemmed from his actions during the arrest of George Floyd on May 25th of last year.

That's right video showed the officer nailing on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes on a sidewalk outside a grocery store as the black man pleaded for his life and then stopped moving.

Police were arresting him on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at the store.

The video sparked outrage around the world and helped fuel one of the largest protest movements ever seen in the United States with daily demonstrations against racism and police brutality.

Jury selection for Servin's trial was set to resume Thursday.