A panel of judges from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta heard arguments from attorneys seeking to overturn the hate crime conviction of three white men who were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, in Georgia in 2020. Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted of murder in a Georgia state court in November 2021 and were sentenced to life in prison. They were later found guilty of hate crimes and other charges in a federal trial in February 2022.

The hate crimes trial focused on the racial bias of the three men, with prosecutors arguing that they had longstanding hate and prejudice toward Black people. The defense attorneys, however, argued that evidence of past racist comments made by the men did not prove a racist intent to harm Arbery. They also contended that the hate crime conviction should be thrown out because Arbery was not killed on a public street, as required by federal law.

During the oral arguments, Travis McMichael's appeals attorney, Amy Lee Copeland, challenged the prosecution's assertion that the streets in the neighborhood where Arbery was killed were public roads. Judge Elizabeth Branch noted that a county official testified that the streets were officially designated public streets. The defense also argued against the attempted kidnapping charge, claiming that the men were trying to protect the community from someone they believed had committed a crime.

Prosecutor Brant Levine urged the judges to uphold the hate crime convictions, stating that Arbery would be alive today if he had not been a Black man running in the neighborhood. He argued that the defendants had not acted criminally by merely questioning Arbery if they believed he looked suspicious. Levine emphasized that the men had taken extreme measures, terrorizing Arbery for nearly five minutes before his death.

Outside the courthouse, a rally was held with about three dozen people, including members of Arbery's family and civil rights leaders, protesting the appeal. Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia NAACP, emphasized the significance of the hate crimes conviction, calling it the first federal hate crimes conviction in Georgia. Arbery's family expressed their pain and disappointment over the ongoing legal proceedings, with his aunt Diane Jackson stating that the appeal had reignited their suffering.

The appellate judges did not indicate when they would rule on the case. If any of the federal convictions are overturned, the McMichaels and Bryan would remain in prison serving their life sentences for murder. The case has drawn national attention and sparked debates about racial bias, vigilantism, and the pursuit of justice in the criminal justice system.