**Brunswick, Georgia —** On Tuesday, a Georgia courthouse summoned over 200 potential jurors for preliminary questioning regarding their ability to remain impartial in the trial of a former district attorney accused of interfering with police during the investigation of the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
Jackie Johnson, who was serving as district attorney when Arbery—a 25-year-old Black man—was pursued and fatally shot by three white men in pickups on a residential street, faces charges of misconduct. The upcoming trial will occur in the same courthouse where the perpetrators of Arbery’s murder were found guilty in 2021.
During the questioning, Senior Judge John R. Turner excused 15 prospective jurors individually after they confessed to already having strong opinions shaped by news media and social media coverage, or discussions with family members.
Additionally, more than 40 individuals were dismissed based on their responses to a questionnaire concerning personal biases or hardships they might face if chosen for the jury. One man noted in his questionnaire, “She interfered with the investigation and let convicted murderers go,” and he was excused after claiming that Johnson provided “special treatment” to Arbery’s killers.
Another woman was dismissed after stating that she had essentially concluded that Johnson should be acquitted, asserting, “I don’t really think what she did was wrong. Jackie Johnson was just doing her job.” Similarly, a man remarked that the trial seemed like “a witch hunt to me,” while another expressed disdain for attorneys by stating that they “seem like egotistical jerks and are arrogant.”
Judge Turner indicated that jury selection would likely extend through at least Friday, partially due to anticipated winter weather conditions that could impact proceedings. Court was adjourned early on Tuesday because of predicted snow showers, and sessions were canceled for Wednesday, coinciding with local school closures due to icy conditions.
Given the high-profile nature of Arbery’s case and Johnson’s prominence as Glynn County’s lead prosecutor for a decade, officials summoned a larger group of potential jurors. Approximately 210 individuals attended jury duty on Tuesday, out of 500 summoned, with some excused beforehand and some mail returning undeliverable.
The potential jurors will be queried about their familiarity with the Arbery case and their ability to impartially judge Johnson. Superior Court Clerk Rebecca Walden anticipates that the jury selection process may take about a week in total for a jury of twelve, plus alternates.
The tragic series of events began on February 23, 2020, when Greg McMichael, a retired investigator from Johnson’s office, and his son, Travis McMichael, initiated a pursuit after seeing Arbery pass their home in Brunswick. Travis McMichael fatally shot Arbery with a shotgun at close range while a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, recorded the incident on his cellphone. The men later claimed they mistakenly suspected Arbery of being a burglar.
Johnson is facing prosecution by the Georgia Attorney General’s office, which accuses her of misusing her position to protect the McMichaels, who along with Bryan, eluded arrest for over two months until the video of the shooting surfaced online. Subsequently, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local authorities, leading to the arrest of all three men, who were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In a separate trial in 2022, they were also found guilty of federal hate crimes.
In September 2021, Johnson was indicted on a charge of violating her oath of office—a felony that could result in one to five years in prison—and on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing the police investigation into Arbery’s death. The indictment claimed that Johnson exhibited “favor and affection” toward Greg McMichael and interfered with law enforcement by instructing that Travis McMichael not be arrested.
Johnson has refuted any allegations of misconduct, stating that she promptly entrusted the case to an outside prosecutor due to her connection with Greg McMichael. She lost her bid for re-election in November 2020, a defeat she attributes largely to the fallout from Arbery’s tragic death.
