Young Thug’s legal team filed a motion to have his Thug’s lyrics, along with social media posts and music videos, removed from evidence. The rapper’s attorney stated that using his client’s speech and artistry as evidence can be considered a “Constitutional Violation” and “an abuse of discretion.” His attorney argues that Thug’s lyrics are protected under the Constitution. The legal team further argues that using his lyrics and speech against his client is “racist and discriminatory because the jury will be so poisoned and prejudiced by these lyrics/poetry/artistry/speech.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has defended using lyrics as evidence. “I think if you decide to admit your crimes over a beat, I’m going to use it,” Willis said during the press conference in August when she announced the RICO charges against a gang in Fulton County. “To use rap lyrics without proper context in prosecutions, it’s highly prejudicial and deprives the accused of a fair trial,” says formal defense attorney, U.S. Representative Hank Johnson. Johnson and U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection Act (RAP Act) to limit the admissibility of artists’ lyrics or expressions as evidence in federal court cases.
D.A. Willis had filed the motion for a two-month delay in October to allow some of the defendants more time to find legal representation. During the hearing, Judge Ural Glanville set the January trial date after denying the prosecution’s motion to delay proceedings until March.
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