N.C. Judge Throws Jury Candidate in Jail for Refusing to Wear Mask
A North Carolina man who reported for jury duty this week found himself in jail for 24 hours after he refused to wear a mask in court, despite there being no local mask mandates in place.
“I never thought I would show up to jury duty and end up behind bars,” Gregory Hahn told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Hahn told WRAL there were signs in the courthouse saying no masks were required and that he and 98 other jury candidates “all walked in.”
Harnett County court judge Charles Gilchrist is the only one within the courthouse that requires a mask, clerk of superior court Renee Whittenton told the local outlet.
“You can go in any district courtroom without a mask, you can come into superior clerk court without a mask and the [district attorney’s] office without a mask, but with Judge Gilchrist he has a mandate that you must wear a mask,” Whittenton said.
Whittenton gave the outlet a written statement saying each juror had been told about Gilchrist’s mask requirement at check-in and that each juror was given a mask to wear.
Hahn refused Gilchrist’s order to wear a face covering, and despite not breaking any local masking laws, the judge had him arrested and sent to jail for contempt of court.
“It was the worst 24 hours of my life. I was refused to make a phone call to my minor child who is home,” said Hahn, a U.S. Navy veteran and single father.
He said he asked Gilchrist to excuse him since it was just one day in jail but the judge allegedly replied: “I could, but I’m not going to.”
Hahn said that the “irony of all this is the judge was talking to me without a mask.”
“If safety was such a concern, I go to jail, no mask requirements with inmates,” he said.
