N-Word Being Said in A$AP Rocky Trial Raises Eyebrows

4 hours ago 3

The use of the N-word by non-Black members of the prosecution and defense in A$AP Rocky's felony assault trial is generating online criticism.

Newsweek reached out to the LA courts via email for comment.

Why Is A$AP Rocky on Trial?

A$AP Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

The charges stem from a November 2021 incident in Hollywood, in which A$AP Rocky allegedly fired a gun at his former friend and fellow A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron.

A$AP Rocky denies shooting the gun at A$AP Relli and says that the firearm is a starter pistol carried for safety reasons.

The Context

Multiple text messages exchanged between A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli, who are Black, containing variations of the N-word have been read aloud in court by non-Black attorneys on both sides. Two of the texts are shown below:

What To Know

On Thursday, Los Angeles Times reporter James Queally posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Can we get a judge's order on attorneys not dropping the N-Bomb when reading from texts and transcripts in trials? This happens every time I cover a trial even adjacent to the hip-hop world and I can see people cringing in the gallery."

Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff also posted on X about the use of the word in the trial, writing, "One thing about Rocky's trial is that no one, not the defense, not the prosecutors, not the judge, appear to have any qualms about saying the N-word when reading texts aloud."

YSL Trial Judge Apologizes For Using N-Word

Cuniff noted on X that Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, who presided over rapper Young Thug's Georgia RICO case last year, "actually apologized" for using the N-word during proceedings. Cuniff added that Brian Steel, Young Thug's lawyer, "would NEVER" say the word.

In November, Whitaker came back from a lunch break with an apology for using the N-word while reading a text admitted into evidence.

"I hope that was not offensive to anyone," she told the courtroom. "It was certainly not meant to be offensive to anyone. I did not use that word, and I should have been looking first before I said it."

Steel said "people" instead of the N-word when he read the text aloud in court.

Legal Experts Weigh In

David Sanford, a New York-based civil rights attorney, told Newsweek Thursday that the N-word is appropriate to use in court if it is referenced in a quotation.

"The judge may, of course, caution the jury that it will hear such language in advance. Sanitizing the language will otherwise distract from the facts of the case," Sanford said.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and legal analyst, told Newsweek that there are no rules in court about the use of expletives or the N-word if they are used as evidence in the case.

"In fact, the lawyers and witnesses should read the precise words in the text messages into evidence so the court reporter can transcribe them and the record on appeal is clear," Rahmani said. "Lawyers and witnesses should otherwise refrain from using racial slurs or cursing if it is not for an evidentiary reason. That would violate courtroom decorum."

What People Are Saying

A$AP Relli to A$AP Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina during a heated moment during cross-examination on Thursday: "Why are you showing my Instagram? I'm already getting death threats. People are threatening my daughter, like, what's going on here?"

Superior Judge Mark Arnold, implementing a gag order Tuesday in A$AP Rocky's trial: "I don't want any attorney saying anything to the press while the case is going on. That's it. You can call it a gag order."

Attorney Gloria Allred, to Newsweek on whether A$AP Rocky's partner Rihanna's presence in court could sway jurors: "Although jurors are instructed by the judge to consider only the evidence admitted by the court, it is human nature for many jurors to look at a celebrity sitting in the courtroom.

"Even though jurors should not take those facts into consideration and even if jurors state that they will not consider that, some jurors will not be able to ignore it."