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Judge Rejects Defense Request to Bar Black Pastors from Trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers

HeadlineNov 16, 2021

Meanwhile, in Georgia, the trial is continuing for the three white men who hunted down and shot dead Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger. On Monday, Judge Timothy Walmsley rejected a request from defense attorneys to declare a mistrial. The judge also said it was “reprehensible” for the defense to object to Black pastors being allowed to sit with Arbery’s family in the courtroom. Last week, defense attorney Kevin Goff said, “We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here.” He cited the presence of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who hadn’t actually attended the trial. On Monday, Rev. Jackson traveled to Georgia to sit with the Arbery family, prompting this remark from attorney Kevin Gough.

Kevin Gough “Your Honor, I would submit, with all respect to the Reverend Jesse Jackson, that this is no different than bringing in police officers or uniformed prison guards in a small town where a young Black man has been accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer or corrections officer.”

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