That’s that. A Fulton County judge determined that rapper Young Thug did not breach his probation terms through a recent social media post, allowing him to remain free under his current agreement.
The ruling comes after prosecutors alleged the artist violated his probation with online activity related to his resolved YSL RICO case.
Well, he didn’t. Free speech is a thing.
This looks like another defeat for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. She filed a motion on April 2 claiming Williams’ since-deleted post, which reportedly identified and criticized a DA investigator, led to threats against the official. The 14-page filing argued the rapper’s actions, including calling the investigator the “biggest liar in the D.A. office,” resulted in harassment and an alleged assassination threat.
Williams’ attorney, Brian Steel, firmly denied any probation violation, stating in court documents: “The allegations are baseless. Mr. Williams can admit to all of the allegations alleged and still not have violated any term of his probationary sentence.” The rapper also addressed the situation online, asserting, “I do not make threats and would never condone threatening anyone.”
After reviewing arguments from both sides, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker ruled on April 3 that the post was not a probation violation. However, she advised caution moving forward: “While the Court does not find that the cited social media post rises to the level of a violation of Defendant’s probation, it may be prudent for Defendant to exercise restraint regarding certain topics.”
Legal experts weighed in on the implications of the case. Defense attorney Megan Grout, unaffiliated with the proceedings, criticized the DA’s approach: “You can’t revoke someone’s probation because you don’t like what they’ve 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 further challenged the legal basis of the motion, adding: “The District Attorney’s Office of Fulton County cannot put people in jail because they don’t like what that person 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.”
The decision maintains Williams’ probation status while highlighting ongoing debates about free speech, online conduct, and legal accountability.