One defense lawyer objected to the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presence in court. Another said jurors looked sympathetically at Ahmaud Arbery’s mother as she sobbed at the sight of her son’s photo.
Lawyers for the three white Georgia men on trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, tried unsuccessfully on Monday to convince a judge to declare a mistrial, with one of the lawyers reiterating his argument that prominent Black pastors should not be allowed in the courtroom because they unfairly influence the jury. Kevin Gough, who represents the defendant William Bryan,52, unleashed a wave of condemnation last week when he declared that “we don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here” after the Rev. Al Sharpton spent a day observing the trial in the courtroom’s public gallery. On Monday, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson came to the courtroom and sat between Mr. Arbery’s parents, prompting a second effort from Mr. Gough to ban the prominent civil rights leaders from the proceedings. “Which pastor is next? Is Raphael Warnock going to be the next person appearing? We don’t know,” said Mr. Gough, referring to the Atlanta minister who was elected to the Senate this year. “Your honor, I would submit, with all respect to the Rev. 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.” Mr. Gough’s statements have inspired a rally, scheduled for Thursday, in which more than 100 Black pastors are planning to join Mr. Sharpton and the Arbery family in forming a “wall of prayer” in front of the courthouse in Glynn County, Ga.
