Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the Ahmaud Arbery case, with day five of jury selection, or voir dire, for the trial of Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael, and William “Roddy” Bryan on murder and other charges over the death of Ahmaud Arbery on February 23, 2020.
Today we expect the jury selection process, or voir dire, to continue. Today I anticipate the court will begin with a new group, the fifth group to date, of 20 prospective jurors subject to general voir dire this morning, followed by individual voir dire of members of that group in the afternoon, as has been the pattern throughout last week.
The media is reporting that so far there have been about 23 prospective jurors who have made it through general and individual voir dire, and who are said to have been “qualified” for yet a third level of voir dire. Judge Walmsley reportedly wants 64 prospective jurors “qualified” in this manner, to allow for that third level of voir dire that will ultimately distill that group to the 12 jurors and 4 alternates needed for trial.
At the current rate, it could take an entire month to seat the required jurors. A key reason for the slow pace of voir dire has apparently been that so many prospective jurors have already arrived at an opinion as to the guilt of the defendants, having previously seen the infamous video of the final confrontation between Ahmaud Arbery and Travis McMichael, as well has having been subject to some 20 months of media coverage and propaganda around the case.
There was no jury selection this past Friday, with the court in recess for the day because of a scheduling conflict for one of the lawyers involved in the case.
You can find our analysis of last Thursday’s voir dire here:
Arbery Case Day 4 Wrap-Up: Media Asks Judge to Lift Gag Order from Attorneys
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You carry a gun so you’re hard to kill.
Know the law so you’re hard to convict.
Stay safe!
–Andrew
Attorney Andrew F. Branca
Law of Self Defense LLC
Nothing in this content constitutes legal advice. Nothing in this content establishes an attorney-client relationship, nor confidentiality. If you are in immediate need of legal advice, retain a licensed, competent attorney in the relevant jurisdiction.
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