In Georgia, the trial of the three white men who hunted down and shot dead Ahmaud Arbery took an unexpected twist Thursday when a defense attorney claimed the courtroom presence of high-profile Black pastors sitting with the Arbery family could be “intimidating” for the jury — which is almost all white.

Kevin Gough: “Obviously, there’s only so many pastors they can have. And if their pastor’s Al Sharpton right now, that’s fine. But then that’s it. We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here or other — Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week, sitting with the victim’s family, trying to influence a jury in this case.”

In a statement, the Rev. Al Sharpton said the attorney’s comments “underscore the disregard for the value of the human life lost and the grieving of a family in need of spiritual and community support.”