Judge sends juror to jail for a day for refusing to wear a mask – despite not having a mandate to wear face coverings in court: dad says it was the ‘worst 24 hours of my life’ – got one orange jumpsuit and was thrown into a cell with criminals
- Gregory Hahn, 47, has been ordered to remain in jail for 24 hours for refusing Judge Winston Charles Gilchrist’s order to wear a mask in his courtroom
- Hahn, of Harnett County, North Carolina, was held in contempt of court but said there had never been warnings about wearing a mask in the courtroom
- The father of one child attended the jury summons with 97 other candidates
- Gilchrist is the only chief justice in the county with a mask mandate, and no such rule is enforced anywhere else in the building
A North Carolina father-of-one spent 24 hours in jail for refusing to wear a mask as ordered by a judge despite no state or provincial mandates.
Gregory Hahn, 47, was among several of 98 jury service candidates who were called to the Harnett County courthouse and showed up without a mask because there were no such rules or warnings, WRAL reports.
Despite the fact that masks are not required in the building, Judge Winston Charles Gilchrist has ordered that everyone wear a mask in his courtroom.
When Hahn refused, the judge warned him he would be disregarded in court and could serve a month in jail, but the man refused to back down.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to wear a mask,’ and he says, ’24 hours in the Harnett County Jail,'” Hahn recalled Friday on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Gregory Hahn, 47, of Harnett County, North Carolina, was ordered to stay in jail for 24 hours for refusing Judge Winston Charles Gilchrist’s order that a mask be worn in his courtroom
Hahn was flouted in court but said there had never been prior warnings to wear a mask in the courtroom
Gilchrist (above) is the only chief justice in the county with a mask mandate, and no such rule is enforced anywhere else in the building
MUST WATCH: The story of Gregory Hahn – an NC man jailed by a far-right judge for refusing to wear a mask in a place where there is no mask mandate.
God bless him & #Tucker for giving him a platform to tell his story.
We have to support people like Mr. Hahn. pic.twitter.com/aL5NrBVE9I
– Vadim @ Truth Caviar Podcast 🇺🇸 (@Stat4Real) October 15, 2022
Harnett County Superior Court Clerk Renee Whittenton noted that Gilchrists is the only Supreme Court Justice in the county with a mask mandate.
“You can go into any county courtroom without a mask, you can come into the higher courtroom without a mask and that [district attorney’s] Office without a mask, but with Judge Gilchrist, he has a mandate that you must wear a mask,” she told WRAL.
Despite the judge’s orders, Hahn said there was never any notice in the jury summons he received, nor were there any signs inside the courthouse.
Hahn said he “felt there was a certain bias” in the judge’s decision to jail him, saying he clearly had been “bullied” for standing up for what he believed in.
Recalling his day in prison, Hahn told Carlson, “It was the worst 24 hours of my life. I had to call my underage child who was at home.
‘I was waved in. I was slipped into an orange uniform. Got a roll of toilet paper, toothpaste, towel, grabbed a mat. And I go to a cell with inmates.’
Hahn slammed the judge for the “biased” verdict, saying his time in jail was “the worst 24 hours” of his life. He said he was considering filing a lawsuit against the judge
He also lamented that none of the other 97 jurors joined him to challenge the judge.
Hahn has said he might consider filing a lawsuit against the judge over the incident.
“I’m incarcerated for doing my civic duty and doing nothing,” Hahn told WRAL. “It’s stunning.”
Gilchrist’s office did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment.
Gilchrist, a Democrat, is a judge in North Carolina’s Third Superior Court Division, having first ran for office in 2012 and won with 65 percent of the vote.
The University of North Carolina graduate ran for re-election unopposed in 2020 and is expected to remain in office through 2028, according to Ballotpedia.
Gilchrist’s most notable case involved an appeal by convicted murderer Daniel Green, who was charged with the 1996 murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James Jordan.
Gilchrist blocked Green’s attempt to bring the case back to trial, as the convict has long claimed he was innocent of the murder.