Kodak Black legal troubles are still pretty serious but the presiding judge is off the bench for making some inappropriate comments.
The Florida rapper is currently behind bars fighting for his freedom. if it was left up to this judge alone, he would remained in jail for the long haul. Judge Joel Lazarus was removed from overseeing Kodak Black’s case going forward, according to Local10 news. A video surfaced online this week showing Lazarus making some comments about some draconian bond policy. Seems he was unaware that he was being recorded while making the comments.
Specifically, the judge says during the hot mic moment that he will double the bond for crimes caught in his neighborhood. “Closer to my house, the higher the bond. That was always Lazarus’ rule,” he said while the prosecutor replied “I have no problem with that.”
The full exchange went viral online and has since caused the judge to be removed from Kodak Black’s case, as well as, other cases he was presiding over. Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein wrote a letter to Chief Judge Jack Tuter asking for Judge Joel Lazarus to be banned from all criminal cases going forward. Tuter wasted no time in removing the judge while calling the comments “clearly inappropriate.”
Lazarus issued a statement saying he regrets making the statement. “People say things in jest all the time,” he said. “It was unfortunate. I shouldn’t have said it…There was no action taken on it.”
Kodak Black next court hearing is set for February 23 when his attorney will apply for bail once again. Last month, Lazarus denied his bond sparking outcry from the Pompano Beach rapper and his legal team.
