Ga. Judge From Ahmaud Arbery Murder Case Leaving Bench

| August 4, 2026, 4:23 PM EDT ·  Listen to article

Judge Timothy R. Walmsley

The Georgia state judge who presided over the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial in 2021 will soon step down after more than 14 years on the bench to return to private practice, joining the Atlanta-based Robbins Alloy Belinfante Littlefield LLC.

Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley of the Eastern Judicial Circuit, which covers Chatham County, will step down from the bench on Sept. 1, he informed Gov. Brian P. Kemp in a letter Monday.

“Serving the citizens of Georgia, and specifically Chatham County, has been one of the greatest honors of my professional career,” the judge wrote. “I appreciate the trust placed in me during my tenure and will be forever grateful to the citizens of Georgia for affording me the privilege to serve.”

The judge also expressed appreciation to his colleagues, court staff and others, saying he remains “committed to the continued success of the judicial system and will endeavor to see that the rule of law remains steadfast in Georgia.”

Judge Walmsley told Law360 Monday that he will join the Robbins Firm, a boutique specializing in business litigation, regulatory law and government affairs matters, once he steps down from the bench. He said the details of his practice are still being worked out, and that he looks forward to continuing to advocate for an independent judiciary after his tenure on the bench comes to an end.

He was appointed to the Superior Court in February 2012 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal and elected to additional full four-year terms in 2014, 2018 and 2022, according to his profile on the court’s website.

In 2021, he presided over one of the court’s highest-profile criminal matters with the murder trial for three white men accused of killing Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, when he was running through a neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia, in February 2020, according to Associated Press reports. Video of the shooting created a public firestorm about racial relations in the U.S.

Jurors convicted Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan in November 2021 of murder and other charges for the killing of Arbery, the AP said. Travis McMichael was shown on cellphone video, taken by Bryan, fatally shooting Arbery.

During sentencing in January 2022, Judge Walmsley had strong words when sentencing the three to life in prison, with only Bryan having the chance for parole, saying Arbery left his home simply to go for a run, but “ended up running for his life” when the three pursued him in vehicles because they claimed they thought he was fleeing a burglary, according to video posted by ABC News.

The judge took issue with certain comments made during proceedings, including Greg McMichael saying Arbery was “trapped like a rat,” saying the killing was “callous,” and sentencing them was an “exercise in accountability.”

“I think ultimately with regard to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, it holds us all accountable,” the judge said, saying that he believes that in “assuming the worst in others, we show our worst character.”

“Assuming the best in others is always the best course of action, and maybe those are the grand lessons from this case,” the judge said.

Before his time on the bench, Judge Walmsley was counsel to the Chatham County Board of Tax Assessors and a part-time judge in the Magistrate Court of Chatham County, according to his profile on the Superior Court’s website.

He also was previously a partner for many years in the Savannah office of Hunter Maclean Exley & Dunn PC, which is now HunterMaclean. He specialized in commercial and real estate litigation there, according to his profile.

The judge, who was born in Durban, South Africa, and grew up in Pittsford, New York, earned his law degree from Tulane University Law School, according to the profile. He has an undergraduate degree from Allegheny College.

Prior to law school, he worked as an environmental consultant with ICF Kaiser Engineers in Washington, D.C., according to his profile.

Georgia’s superior courts are the state’s trial courts of general jurisdiction to adjudicate criminal, civil, equity and family law cases, the court’s website said.