The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin should face a third-degree murder charge in the killing of George Floyd that had previously been dropped by a trial judge, the Star Tribune reports.

Why it matters: Chauvin is currently facing charges for second-degree murder and manslaughter. The decision reverses the previous ruling and sends the case back to Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill, meaning that Chauvin's trial scheduled to begin next week could be delayed.

The House voted 220 to 212 on Wednesday evening to pass a policing bill named for George Floyd, the Black man whose death in Minneapolis last year led to nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Why it matters: The legislation overhauls qualified immunity for police officers, bans chokeholds at the federal level, prohibits no-knock warrants in federal drug cases and outlaws racial profiling.

Nearly a year after the death of George Floyd, advocates of changes in police practices are launching new moves to limit or eliminate legal liability protections for officers accused of excessive force.

Why it matters: Revising or eliminating qualified immunity — the shield police officers have now — could force officers accused of excessive force to personally face civil penalties in addition to their departments. But such a change could intensify a nationwide police officer shortage, critics say. 

Civil rights advocates are preparing to mark the first anniversary of Selma's "Bloody Sunday" without the late Rep. John Lewis, and as the first anniversary of George Floyd's death approaches. 

Why it matters: A three-day virtual event seeks to acknowledge aging civil rights activists who pushed the nation to expand voting rights in 1965. It also comes as a new generation of advocates fights against voter suppression proposals and pushes police reforms.

The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin over the killing of George Floyd is set to begin in just one week, and tension is palpable in many parts of the city.

What's happening: Barbed-wire fences, concrete barriers and plywood are fortifying city buildings and private towers downtown, as officials prepare for the possibility of large crowds and civil unrest.

Police in Aurora, Colorado, had no legal basis to stop, frisk or use a chokehold on Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man who died in custody in 2019, according to a report by independent investigators released Monday.

Driving the news: The City Council in the Denver suburb ordered the independent review in June amid nationwide protests over the police killing George Floyd and other Black people.

A grand jury declined to indict Buffalo police officers Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski on felony assault charges for shoving 75-year-old Martin Gugino during a Black Lives Matter protest after the killing of George Floyd in June 2020, AP reports.

Why it matters: Gugino spent around a month in the hospital with a fractured skull and brain injury after the incident. A video of the event drew national attention as thousands of people across the U.S. and around the world held protests against police brutality.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed an executive order on Friday to deploy the National Guard to Minneapolis, St. Paul and neighboring communities in the interest of "public safety" ahead of former police officer Derek Chauvin's trial.

Why it matters: The killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died last May after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes, ignited a wave of protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" turns 50 this year, inspiring events from now through the anniversary of the album's May 1971 release that highlight its enduring influence on social activism — from Black Lives Matter demonstrators in Minnesota to Chicano lowriders in New Mexico to Standing Rock Sioux pipeline protesters.

Why it matters: Themes of three of the album's iconic hits from a half-century ago reflect some of the most significant challenges and divisions to the country today — excessive police force, climate change, and a seemingly endless war in a foreign land.

Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy, is joining the Poor People's Campaign and will push the Biden administration to focus on anti-poverty efforts.

Why it matters: The grandnephew of President John F. Kennedy is looking to remain in the public eye on matters important to him after he recently lost his bid for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts.