Judge rules ‘Justice for Ahmaud’ signs, supporters can stay outside courthouse

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A defence question seeking to bounds signs and demonstrations extracurricular the Glynn County Courthouse wherever 3 men are connected proceedings successful the shooting decease of Ahmaud Arbery was denied Tuesday greeting by Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley.

Walmsley said to bash truthful would contradict those extracurricular the courtroom their First Amendment rights.

“I volition enactment erstwhile I came successful this morning, it has been comparatively quiescent connected the courthouse steps,” Walmsley said. “There person been individuals who’ve travel successful from retired of town. No problems. No arrests. No disruptions.”

Since the proceedings began past Monday, determination person been anyplace from 10 to implicit 100 radical sitting connected the tract -- immoderate holding signs, immoderate chanting, “Justice for Ahmaud.”

Kevin Gough, the defence lawyer for William “Roddie” Bryan, had argued that radical showing their enactment for the 25-year-old changeable and killed successful February 2020, should not beryllium allowed to stitchery extracurricular the courthouse, saying it reflects an “effort to intimidate oregon power jury.” He wants to person the country restricted on definite streets surrounding the building.

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“We need to restrict the entree to the jurors successful this case,” Gough argued.

In his argument, Gough showed the tribunal 4 aerial photos of the assemblage connected the tract of the courthouse and a surface shot of a newsman with MSNBC interviewing with Lee Merritt, an lawyer for Arbery’s parent and mentioning a Merritt’s Twitter station that work “Register to vote, amusement up for assemblage duty, and retrieve the operation ‘I tin beryllium fair.’”

FULL COVERAGE: The Ahmaud Arbery Case | After 5 days, tribunal halfway to needed assemblage pool | News4Jax is livestreaming assemblage selection, though audio is muted astir of the time

Across the thoroughfare from the courthouse, a First Amendment Rights signifier was erected connected Friday. It’s a spot wherever radical tin talk astir the feelings connected the case, chant, etc. Glynn

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Last Thursday, erstwhile the question to prohibition the demonstrations was filed, Gough said: “The owed process rights of our clients successful this discourse outweigh the First Amendment rights of those who privation to spot our clients convicted.”

“We not doing thing retired present to wounded nobody, ”Ahmaud Arbery’s aunt, Ruby Arber, said past week. “Everything we doing retired present is for justice, peace, emotion and support.”

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