YSL Trial judge apologizes for saying N-word while reading out evidence in court as clip goes viral on social media

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, who serves as the YSL trial judge, apologized for saying the N-word while reviewing social media posts that the prosecutors want to use as evidence in Atlanta's YSL case. On Friday, November 8, 2024, Judge Whittaker was reading some Instagram conversations out loud during the evidentiary hearing, and at one point, she read the line:

"I gotta do it for boo, these n****s lacking."

When the YSL trial judge read it, however, she forgot to censor the N-word, reading the statement as is. Videos of her accidentally using the N-word circulated online, but Whitaker apologized for it afterward. In another video from the court after the lunch break, the YSL trial judge addressed the slip-up. She explained that it was her first time reading the texts, saying:

"Before we broke for lunch, we were hashing through a bunch of Instagram conversations and I was reading one out loud, basically saying it as my eyes were going over it for the first time ever and just reading whatever was in the paper and I read out the word N-*-*-*-*-S. I hope that that was not offensive to anyone. It was certainly not meant to be offensive to anyone."

The YSL trial judge clarified her intention and admitted her slip-up before apologizing on record, adding:

"I do not use that word, and it was merely... I should've been looking first before I said whatever I said out loud to edit if there were any offensive words. So, I wanna apologize on the record for that."

Whitaker is the judge presiding over Young Thug's case and his alleged involvement in the long-running YSL RICO trial.

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YSL trial judge recently released Young Thug from jail after a plea deal in the YSL RICO trial

The YSL trial, which is now considered Georgia's longest criminal trial in history, drags on with two remaining defendants. It comes after rapper Jeffery Williams, aka Young Thug, made a plea deal in court and was released from jail on the night of October 31 after two years in prison.

He agreed to plead guilty to dr*g and gun-related charges, and Judge Paige Whitaker gave the rapper a 40 years sentence, which was later reduced to a five-year sentence. However, the YSL trial judge said it's commuted to time served, hence Young Thug's newfound freedom.

However, Whitaker put several restrictions on the rapper, including the fact that he can't go traveling in Metro Atlanta anymore. During the sentencing, Whitaker gave him 15 years of probation, and within the first ten years of that, she told the rapper:

"You are to stay away from the metro Atlanta area."

That said, Young Thug is allowed to return to Atlanta for specific occasions, like major family events, medical emergencies, or for his community service. Speaking of community service, Whitaker further noted:

"I'm going to require that you come to the metro Atlanta area and make a live, anti-gang and anti-gun violence presentation four times a year."

But despite Young Thug getting out of prison with the plea deal, the rapper's father, Jeffery Williams Sr., wasn't happy about the judge's ruling that prohibits his son from returning to his hometown.