CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge is giving strong indications he may toss a lawsuit by activists seeking an independent investigation of a prosecutor’s handling of grand jury proceedings in the Michael Brown shooting case.

St. Louis County Circuit Judge Joseph Walsh III heard 90 minutes of arguments Friday. Activists want Walsh to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate what they claim was misconduct by county prosecutor Robert McCulloch.

A grand jury convened by McCulloch last year declined to indict former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the August shooting death of the unarmed Brown.

The county’s attorney urged Walsh to toss the lawsuit.

The hearing will resume May 29. But Walsh told activists’ attorneys an outside investigation may be unnecessary since the Justice Department reached the same conclusion as the grand jury.