Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison answers questions during a news conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, about the investigation into the death of George Floyd. Photo: John Autey/Pioneer Press via AP

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will now lead the prosecutions over the death of George Floyd, placing a prosecutor with a background in civil rights law at the forefront of the case that has sparked national protests against police violence.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made the announcement Sunday, saying he decided to tap Ellison after speaking with Floyd's family. "This decision is one that I feel takes us in that direction and the step to start getting the justice for George Floyd," Walz said.

A county prosecutor has already brought third-degree murder and manslaughter charges against former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on video putting his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes. Floyd later died in police custody.

"I just want to let everyone know that we're going to bring to bear all the resources necessary to achieve justice in this case," Ellison said Sunday of his appointment.

Ellison said Monday he "will make a charging decision based on the facts that we can prove, but I don't want anybody to doubt that we are very seriously looking at that issue." 

"I need to protect this prosecution. I am not going to create a situation where people can say this was a rush to judgment," he also told CNN on Monday.

All four officers involved in Floyd's death have been fired. Activists are demanding stronger charges be brought against Chauvin and that all the officers be prosecuted, claims that have reverberated during the nationwide protests held in the wake of Floyd's death. 

"So this has been a clear feature of black life in America, and everybody knows it," Ellison said of police brutality in an interview with The Nation published May 30, before his appointment. "Every parent knows it. And yet it is this problem that seems to be ever-present and never quite goes away. People think over time this will stop. No. No, it won't."

Ellison is the first African American and the first Muslim American to be elected to statewide office in Minnesota. He was also the first Muslim member of Congress when he was elected in 2002.

His national profile grew when he ran against Tom Perez in 2017 to become chair of the Democratic National Committee. Ellison was named deputy chair after conceding to Perez and resigned from that position and Congress in 2018 to run for state attorney general. He faced allegations of domestic abuse during the campaign, but denied the claims.

As Ellison takes the lead in prosecutions over Floyd's death, here are some highlights from his career:

>> He has a background in civil rights law: Ellison began his career with Lindquist & Vennum—which later merged with Ballard Spahr—where he focused on civil rights litigation. He then became executive director of the Legal Rights Center in Minneapolis for five years. "As the leader of this public-interest law firm, he oversaw a team of attorneys focused on delivering justice for Minnesotans who had nowhere else to turn," Ellison's official state biography reads. The Legal Rights Center and the ACLU have both called for an independent prosecutor to oversee the Floyd case. The ACLU said after Ellison's appointment they "are hopeful this will lead to real justice and the prosecution of all officers involved in George's brutal murder," but still urged for an independent prosecutor. Ellison also worked at the Minneapolis firm of Hassan & Reed before his election to the House of Representatives. He told the Star Tribune last year that if he had lost his 2018 bid for attorney general, he would have returned to practicing civil rights law.

>> Ellison has made instances of deadly police force a public priority as attorney general. He and state Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington last year announced a working group on those fatal police encounters and earlier this year unveiled recommendations on how to prevent deadly police violence. The COVID-19 pandemic had prevented state legislators from considering those proposals, but the national outcry over Floyd's death could put renewed focus on the recommendations. "It's time to put those things into place so that we can have meaningful change," Ellison told The Nation. He also overseen similar groups on hate crimes and drug pricing.

>> Ellison is among the Democratic state attorneys general challenging the Trump administration in court. Minnesota's top prosecutor is representing the state in a number of lawsuits challenging policies implemented during President Donald Trump's presidency. Ellison has gone to court over immigration and health care policies and is also among the Democratic state attorneys general opposing a Trump-backed GOP lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act at the U.S. Supreme Court. "When the federal government refuses to protect Minnesotans' health and lives, it's my duty to step in," Ellison said in a statement last month. "It's why I've been part of the coalition defending the ACA from the start and why I'll use every tool I have to fight for them in the Supreme Court and in every court."