Defense fails to oust Jesse Jackson from Arbery death trial

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson has joined the parents of Ahmaud Arbery in court for the trial of three white men charged with murdering their son. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley declined a request by defense attorney Kevin Gough to have Jackson leave the courtroom. The 25-year-old Black man was chased and gunned down in the street Feb. 23, 2020, and a cellphone video of the killing deepened a national outcry over racial injustice. Gough already complained that he didn’t want “any more Black pastors” who might influence the jury after the Rev. Al Sharpton joined Arbery’s parents last week. On Monday, he asked, “how many pastors does the Arbery family have?”