Media Prevented From Covering Start of Militia Leader’s Trial

Grandmaster Jay, left, leader of NFAC, leads a march in Louisville, Ky., on July 25, 2020. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky.–Government officials prevented The Epoch Times from covering roughly the first five hours of the trial of John Johnson, the black nationalist militia leader accused of pointing his firearm at a group of law enforcement officers during a September 2020 racial justice protest in Louisville.

The May 23 jury selection for Johnson, the leader of the all-black militia Not [Expletive] Around Coalition (NFAC), was largely uneventful, according to the defendant’s attorney, Donald Meier.

But outside the courtroom, security guards from the U.S. Marshals Service prevented reporters from covering the jury selection.

The guards said jury selections are closed to the public—an inaccurate statement. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the public’s right to access criminal trials applies to jury selections.

The Epoch Times made multiple visits and calls to the Clerk of Court’s Office and District Judge Benjamin Beaton’s chambers, seeking an explanation.

A staffer for the Clerk of Court’s Office first said that seating was limited due to COVID-19 safety protocols. When this reporter asked to see the protocols, the staffer conferred with colleagues before saying that standing room was available.

Again, when this reporter returned to the courtroom, a security guard—a different one this time—said the jury-selection process was closed to the public.

After another round of calls, this reporter was admitted into the courtroom around 3 p.m.

Inside, 31 potential jurors were seated across 20 benches wide enough to seat five people each. Two other jury candidates were seated in the 12-chair jury box.

Other than five potential jury candidates, no one wore a mask—including the prosecution, the defense, the guards, or court staff.

Besides the spacing restrictions, there were no mask mandates or further apparent COVID-19 protocols.

The jury selection process lasted about another two hours before the court broke for the day. Opening arguments are set to begin May 24.

Judge Beaton’s case manager, Anna Beilman, didn’t respond to a voicemail seeking clarification on the COVID-19 protocols governing the Johnson trial. Prosecutors didn’t respond to an email about the same issue.

Johnson’s attorney Meier declined to comment on the matter—but did say that the morning’s jury-selection process was “the usual.”

Someone at the news desk at Louisville’s ABC affiliate, WHAS11, told The Epoch Times that its reporter was also prevented from covering the start of the trial but didn’t challenge the decision. Three other local media outlets said they didn’t send reporters for the jury selection, but will attend the opening arguments.

Johnson’s militia captured headlines during the protests in the summer of 2020, but the NFAC has been largely silent since its leader’s arrest. In February, NFAC spokesperson Debbie James told The Epoch Times, “We can clarify for you that the NFAC has been in a stand-down posture, as ordered by its commander [Johnson] after he was arrested in 2020.

“As we are a law-abiding organization, we thought it the proper thing to do, pending the outcome of the legal proceedings,” James said. “We didn’t anticipate it would last for 14 months.”

Johnson, also widely known by his DJ name, Grand Master Jay, elaborated about his organization in a December 2021 appearance on AllHipHopTV. According to Johnson, NFAC has been quiet because its members see his arrest as political persecution, and they fear the same.

Johnson faces up to 20 years imprisonment if found guilty.