YSL Case: Potential Juror Sentenced To Jail Time For Filming Jury Selection Process

BYAron A.1049 Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Celebrities Attend Boston Celtics v Atlanta Hawks
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 17: Rapper Young Thug performs at halftime during the Boston Celtics v Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena on November 17, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

A potential juror was found in contempt after filming the jury selection process.

More headaches surround the jury selection process in the YSL case have emerged. Over the past few months, the defense and prosecutors struggled to identify their jurors for the RICO trial. However, the judge has also found himself scolding many of the potential candidates. This time, a judge issued jail time for one individual accused of recording the jury selection process. The judge explained that there were potential punishments: a $1000 fine or 20 days in jail. Ultimately, he sentenced the juror to 3 days behind bars for contempt.

“Madam, I think given that the amount of time and energy and effort and care we spent in making that particular pronouncement, and I even – I tell it multiple times for multiple reasons and you decide that you want to do what you wanted to do,” the judge said before the individual tried to provide an explanation. “Well, you pulled out your phone and you recorded this court’s proceedings which is a direct violation of the court’s orders so I’m going to sentence you to three days in jail.”

YSL Juror Jailed For Contempt

The judge explained that he didn’t want to issue a fine to the individual because of his repeated warnings during the jury selection process. “Unfortunately, I have told several people and made several iterations of this particular notice. And you video taped our proceedings. It’s a brazen violation of these particular proceedings,” he said. While the juror tried to explain that “so much was going on,” the judge shut her “excuse for behavior” down.”

Unfortunately, this is just among the many issues that have occurred during the jury selection process. In the past few months, the judge has scolded and punished a number of individuals. One juror, in particular, found themselves having to write a paper on the importance of jury selection after reportedly skipping town for vacation.  Another was found in contempt for allegedly trying to contact a reporter. Due to the number of mishaps throughout the Young Thug trial, there will be roughly 1,200 potential jurors called. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates surrounding the YSL RICO case including the progress with jury selection. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.