Judge rules Young Thug's social media post doesn't violate probation

ATLANTA - Young Thug’s probation will remain intact for now, a Fulton County Superior Court Judge has ruled.

The rapper, whose legal name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was accused of violating his deal to end his involvement in the YSL RICO Trial after a now-deleted post to one of his social media accounts.

PREVIOUSLY: Young Thug could lose his probation deal | Here's what we know

The backstory:

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed a 14-page motion on April 2 alleging Williams has violated the terms of his probation through online behavior, including a recent now-deleted post targeting a DA investigator by name and photo. In the post, Williams reportedly called the investigator the "biggest liar in the D.A. office."

Willis claimed the post led to threats against the investigator and her family, including doxxing — the online publication of personal information — and said a separate assassination threat had also been made against her.

In response to the filing, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, denied any wrongdoing by his client.

"The allegations are baseless," Steel wrote in a court filing. "Mr. Williams can admit to all of the allegations alleged and still not have violated any term of his probationary sentence."

Williams also addressed the controversy in a social media post, saying he does not make threats and "would never condone threatening anyone."

The court’s decision came after reviewing both the state’s motion and a response from Williams' legal team submitted on April 3.

What they're saying:

In an order issued April 3, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker wrote that the post did not rise to the level of a probation violation.

"While the Court does not find that the cited social media post rises to the level of a violation of Defendant’s probation," Whitaker wrote, "it may be prudent for Defendant to exercise restraint regarding certain topics."

Local perspective:

Defense attorney Megan Grout, who is not connected to the case, said the motion sets a dangerous precedent.

"You can't revoke someone's probation because you don't like what they've said," Grout said. "He is entitled to have an opinion and he's entitled to express it. What happened was other people then saw what he had expressed and took it to the next level."

Grout, who has worked as a criminal defense attorney for years, criticized the DA’s legal basis.

"The District Attorney's Office of Fulton County cannot put people in jail because they don't like what that person said," she said. "They have to follow the law just like the rest of us do, and that motion does not follow any law that I can find."

What's next:

Williams remains on probation under the terms previously imposed by the court.

SEE ALSO:

• Motions hearing canceled for Atlanta rapper Young Thug
• YSL RICO case: Trial for 3 remaining defendants to be delayed until June
• Murder convictions of 2 former YSL defendants upheld by Georgia Supreme Court
• YSL RICO case: Trial for remaining defendants set for early March
• Tenquarius Mender accepts plea deal in YSL RICO Case, avoids trial with 10-year sentence