Court Revisits Kendrick Johnson Case After Family Claims Civil Rights Violations

ATLANTA — A federal appeals court is revisiting the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, a high school sophomore whose body was discovered inside a gym mat at Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Law enforcement has ruled his death a “tragic accident” on two separate occasions; however, Johnson’s family is arguing that their civil rights were violated.

The case originally closed soon after Johnson’s death, but was reopened in 2021 amid public outcry and demands for further scrutiny. Once reopened, local authorities once again ruled the death an accident. This outcome did not sit well with the Johnson family, who contended that key evidence was ignored.

Jacquelyn and Kenneth Johnson, Kendrick’s parents, have cited an independent autopsy that questions the initial findings and noted inconsistencies with the school’s surveillance footage. Their family filed a lawsuit asserting that a federal judge improperly dismissed their case and that the judge, U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May, should have recused herself due to bias.

On February 21, a three-judge panel at the federal appeals court ruled on the Johnsons’ claims. While the judges agreed that Judge May had not acted improperly by refusing to recuse herself, they called for a reconsideration of the ruling that dismissed the lawsuit.

The panel pointed out that the Johnsons’ claim of bias did not stem from “extrajudicial” factors but rather from their frustrations with May’s management of the case. They highlighted that the Johnsons had not proven that Judge May’s alleged bias came from sources outside the courtroom.

Another significant issue identified by the trial court was the fact that the lawsuit was filed against various entities that are not liable for lawsuits, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, the Valdosta Lowndes Crime Lab, and the Lowndes County Board of Education. Judge May ruled that the case must be dismissed for this reason.

Under Georgia law, the sheriff’s office, being a county entity, cannot be sued; thus, any suit must be directed at the county itself. Similarly, the crime lab is tied to the city, making the city the proper defendant, and the school district, not the county school board, is the recognized entity for legal action.

Despite these legal hurdles, the appeals panel noted that the lawsuit’s naming of incorrect defendants could be addressed. They ordered that the dismissal decision should be revisited, allowing the possibility for the Johnsons to amend their lawsuit.

The judges acknowledged that there are further grounds that could still justify dismissal but provided a pathway for the case to return to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Both parties will now be given a chance to present their arguments with the potential for the family’s legal concerns to be heard in a reevaluation of the case.