The judge issued a statement late Friday evening within an hour of a Tribune report that activist and rap artist Bella BAHHS (Black Ancestors Here Healing Society) had been told Tuesday she was not allowed inside the courtroom or the courthouse.
BAHHS told the Tribune last week that she was asked to leave the courtroom shortly after she gave an interview to reporters in the lobby of the building.
The Cook County sheriff’s office confirmed in a statement that Linn made a “verbal” order barring “an individual seated in the gallery of his courtroom from the George N.
The barring of BAHHS from the courtroom came after Linn had issued a verbal directive to attorneys to not speak with the media.
When asked by the Tribune about the statements, BAHHS said she told reporters that while she did not know Smollett to be someone who would falsify a story, she did know “CPD to be that type of department though.”.
Linn was contacted midafternoon Friday by the Tribune with questions about both the order and the fact BAHHS had been removed from the courtroom.
Linn, however, had addressed his concerns about the media on the day BAHHS was removed after special prosecutor Dan Webb alerted him to some “press issues.”.
BAHHS, before Linn issued his statement, said her removal was particularly concerning because it threatens to limit and prejudice the public’s understanding of court proceedings