Judge declines to change racial makeup of jury in Ahmaud Arbery's death

Brunswick, Georgia — The judge in the trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery declined to override decisions in jury selection Wednesday that left just one Black juror on the final panel of 12, though he agreed with prosecutors that "there appears to be intentional discrimination."

Prosecutors had asked Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley to reinstate eight Black potential jurors, arguing that defense lawyers struck them from the final jury because of their race. The U.S. Supreme Court has held it's unconstitutional for attorneys during jury selection to strike potential jurors solely based on race or ethnicity.

Walmsley said he was limited in his ability to change the jury's racial makeup because defense attorneys were able to give nonracial reasons for their decisions to strike the potential Black jurors from the panel.