As A$AP Rocky’s trial continues, the judge has noticed that many people in court have gotten too comfortable saying a certain word and he’s tired of people using it. So he’s given them another option.
On Thursday, A$AP Relli, the man accusing Rocky of shooting him in 2021, was asked to read text messages that contained the N-word. Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, also used the word several times when quoting specific passages from text messages between Rocky and Relli
In a clip posted by Meghann Cuniff, an independent reporter, Rocky is heard interjecting after the N-word is used multiple times by his attorney, saying, “Your honor, can we refrain?”
After Rocky spoke with his legal counsel, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold addressed the entire court, saying, “In the future, and this is for all counsel, if there’s any exhibit or any recording that has the N-word, I want you in court to say ’N-word.’ I don’t want you to say what it says. It’s the ’N-word’ from now on … That applies to everybody.”
Watch below:
As previously reported by The Root, Rocky is charged with shooting his former friend and A$AP Mob member Terrell Ephron, aka A$AP Relli, outside of a Hollywood hotel in November 2021. This allegedly happened after the two got into a heated argument.
Ephron claims Rocky shot at him several times, resulting in a graze wound on his knuckles. When police officers arrived at the scene, they could not find any evidence of the crime occurring. Surveillance video caught by a nearby security camera allegedly captured the entire ordeal.
Since Rocky turned down the prosecution’s final plea offer requiring him to spend 180 days in jail, he could face a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison if he’s found guilty of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Rihanna showed up to support the father of her two children on Wednesday. There’s been no footage of her in court, only video of her walking out for a lunch break and a courtroom sketch.