Potential Juror Jailed For Contempt Over Mask

Refuses judge’s order to wear mask

By Robert Jordan
Dunn Daily Record

HARNETT COUNTY – A member of a Harnett County jury pool was jailed for contempt of court on Monday after refusing to wear a mask in a courtroom.

Hahn

Gregory Hahn, 47, of Angier, was booked without bond after telling Senior Resident Judge Charles Winston Gilchrist he wouldn’t wear a mask.

“There are no signs anywhere in the courthouse that says masks are required,” said Hahn. “We were allowed to enter the courthouse without masks.”

But the next thing Hahn knew, he was jailed for contempt of court.

Gilchrist requires masks be worn in his courtroom to prevent any outbreak of COVID-19 that could derail a trial. The North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division’s 11A District judge is the only one requiring masks in his Harnett County courtroom and is presiding over this week’s session of superior court.

Large pool of potential jurors
Harnett County Superior Clerk of Court Renee Whittenton said that an unusually large group of potential jurors showed up for jury duty on Monday. “We had a record number of (potential) jurors. It was the largest groups we have had appear since COVID-19 began,” she said.

“We summoned all the jurors in for orientation. At check-in, each juror was informed that Judge Gilchrist required masks to be worn in his courtroom.”

Before commencing juror orientation in the assembly room, Whittenton had to split the group in two due to space limitations. “In orientation with the second group, I reminded all the members of the jury pool that Judge Gilchrist required everyone in his courtroom to wear a mask. I asked everyone to please put on their mask,” said the clerk. “One of the members informed me that he refused to wear a mask.”

Whittenton called the courtroom to report the dissenting pool member.

“Judge Gilchrist instructed me to send the gentleman to the courtroom.”

Whittenton said she had no personal knowledge of what happened next, but a news tip to The Daily Record revealed that wasn’t the end of the story.

What happened next
Following his release from jail on Tuesday afternoon, Hahn spoke with The Daily Record regarding his odyssey.

“When I received the jury summons, there was no sort of instructions regarding masks,” Hahn said. “We have not been under a mask mandate for quite some time in Harnett County.”

Gov. Roy Cooper lifted most of the state’s mask mandates on May 4.

“I arrived at the courthouse and checked in. I was given my juror ID and the Clerk of Court informed me that I would be required to wear a mask in the courtroom. I made eye contact with the clerk and politely told her I was not going to wear a mask.

“She called the bailiff and had me isolated on the other side of the room.”

During roll call, Hahn says he raised his hand to identify his presence. A bailiff came and escorted him outside the courtroom.

“There are no signs anywhere in the courthouse that says masks are required. We were allowed to enter the courthouse without masks. When the bailiff heard my story, she appeared dumbfounded. She informed me that Judge Gilchrist wanted to talk to me,” Hahn said. “She escorted me to the courtroom where Judge Gilchrist was presiding over another case. I was motioned in to stand before the judge.”

Judge Gilchrist identified Hahn and asked why he was refusing to wear a mask in his courtroom.

“I said we’re not under any mandates, there’s no requirement, there’s no laws about it and I thought we were done with these masks,” Hahn said. “Judge Gilchrist then told me that it was required of everyone in his courtroom, and it was his order.”

Hahn then explained that Gilchrist told him that the penalty for not complying would be to find Hahn in contempt. The judge further explained that Hahn could be fined $500 and placed in jail for 30 days.

Then, Hahn says the judge asked him if he still refused to wear a mask.

Hahn says he answered that was correct.

The judge found him in contempt and instructed the bailiff to remove him from the courtroom.

“I asked the judge if he was going to do this without giving me any due process? The judge told me that was correct,” Hahn said. “I explained I was a single parent and needed to contact my daughter, the judge refused.

“I was transported to the Harnett County jail and kept there until about two o’clock on Tuesday afternoon.”

Hahn is a veteran of the U.S. Navy with a top secret clearance and served as a member of the President’s Honor Guard at Arlington Cemetery. He was a candidate for the Wake County Board of Education in 2020.

He plans to address this matter, but has yet to plan exactly how to do so.

Judge Gilchrist has not replied yet to a request for comment.

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50 COMMENTS

  4. “Hahn is a veteran of the U.S. Navy with a top secret clearance and served as a member of the President’s Honor Guard at Arlington Cemetery. He was a candidate for the Wake County Board of Education in 2020.”

    Mr. Hahn’s credentials are irrelevant.
    A judge is the all-being master of everything and everyone inside his courtroom.
    Now Mr. Hahn can add to his resume how he learned the hard way that he is no better than anyone else and should never attempt to correct a judge sitting behind his bench in his courtroom.
    The judge gave Mr. Hahn a choice.
    He chose poorly.

    • Judge Gilchrist has no right to impose mask restrictions at this time. He should be censored or removed from the bench. Just because you’re a judge, you cannot mandate anything you desire. Court was not in session, so the judge had no authority at that time to charge him with contempt. The man deserves due process and an apology.

      • “She escorted me to the courtroom where Judge Gilchrist was presiding over another case. I was motioned in to stand before the judge.”

        Court was most definitely in session…
        If the judge is in the courtroom, court is in session.
        I respect your opinion on this article, but based on what I read, I believe the judge had authority.
        However, I feel honoring the request to wear the mask is no different than honoring the request to remove your hat.
        We all know by now that most anything related to health or breathing discomfort is allowed as a good reason to be excused from wearing a mask if requested.
        This sounds more like a pi&&ing contest instead of a lack of respect for authority or politics.

          • @Brett: The SCOTUS has already drawn that line for you. They have repeatedly interpreted Article III of the Constitution as allowing judges wide range of authority, as long as they do not violate your Constitutional rights. As mask wearing is not covered in the Constitution, it is at the judge’s discretion. All of you woke, leftist, liberal Dems who hate the US and abiding by the Constitution can move to Socialist Europe instead!

  5. So glad he stood his ground. Thanking him for his service and if there is a way to Sue this judges backside, do it. It was never a law to wear a mask, only a mandate. And when cooper shut down the churches, he should have been impeached.
    This judge should be replaced.
    Best of luck to this fine gentleman.

  8. All of this could have been avoided if he simply put on a mask instead of pretended to be better than everyone else that followed instruction. He knew this was going to escalate but thought somehow he was above being told what to do. This is what I saw a lot of during the pandemic phase. I’m not sure why the judge ordered them to wear the mask but it should not have turned into a battle to show who is the superior being at any case.

    • I’m sorry but if the individual was told ahead of time that masking is required then I’d agree with what the judge did. Honestly I think it’s an over reaction by judge Gilchrist. Even the CDC has no formal masking requirements so it’s just this judges fear. Of course the judge probably isn’t vaxxed. Then who’s problem is it really?

    • That’s a pretty ignorant statement. Refusal to wear a mask does not coincide with someone “thinking they are better than everyone else.”

  9. Sue the judge!! It was illegal and unconstitutional for the judge to mandate that he wear a mask. The fact that he is the only judge requiring masks in the courtroom tells you a lot about him, he enjoys the power and control of being a judge.
    Thank you Mr Hahn for standing up for freedom!

  12. Jailed for not wearing a mask…. That is ridiculous. Seems like a power hungry judge to me. By the way, didn’t they say if you got the vaxx you couldn’t spread or catch the Covid? It is all a lie.

  14. Kudos to you, sir, for standing up for your rights. It’s time people wake up. Thank you for your service. Best of luck in the future!

  15. What’s next? Requiring me to wear shoes and a shirt to court? Requiring to turn off my cell phone on court? Requiring me to stand up when the judge enters the room? Where will the madness end?

    • Maybe we should wear a Star of David, Cross , Crescent and Star, Darhma Wheel to indicate what religion we are so the judge can see what religion we are to determine if we have a bias. Seems to me someone in the 40’s did something like that…..hmmm I can’t remember who though.

  19. Everyone is up in arms over the mask crap yet people are found in contempt everyday for wearing jeans in many local courtrooms. Selective outrage at best.

  20. Even the dem’s feckless leader biden said the pandemic was over weeks ago. So why are the masks even still being worn anywhere? Glad Mr. Hahn stood up for sanity, hopefully more people will follow his lead.

  21. Thank you for standing up for your rights and the rights of others. I’m sorry you had to endure jail time and the penalty. The judge was out of line and if “We the People” don’t stand up for our rights, they we all be taken away. Some people are saying you should just comply, those people are weak and will be the first ones to surrender when any adversary approaches them. Thank you again for making a stand. It is strong willed people like yourself that will stand up for others. This was not about selfish preference, this is about the rights of everyone.

  22. At the beginning of Covid, Dr. Fauci stated that wearing a mask wouldn’t prevent someone from catching it. It might give some psychological benefit but no real protection. Those are his words. Then, when they realized they could use Covid as a means for other agendas, they built of the hysteria and said lockdown for two weeks…didn’t work…then they said wear masks….didn’t work…then they said vaxx and you can’t catch or spread Covid….didn’t work. Masks were suggested to prevent someone that was asymptomatic from unknowingly spreading Covid. If you feel the need to wear a mask than you are believe you may have Covid. If that is the case, or if you are still living in fear of catching Covid, please stay home. I locked down,I wore a mask, I tested , regrettably I vaxxed. I’ve done my part for 2 years. Now it’s time for all who still are gripped by fear to do your part…STAY HOME. This judge should stay home if he feels everyone has Covid.

  24. Thank you for your (continued) service!

    Masks address COMPLETE B S !!! They do NOT work! I’m in the commuter state of IL & don’t even wear them in dr’s offices, where the fuhrer commands were should.

  25. I NEVER wore a mask except when I visited my dad in the hospital in fall of 2021. And when I did it said “FJB” on it.

    Sir, I thank you for standing up for what is right!

  26. To T.Biden & Hey boo boo: obviously you are democratic, liberal ,left wing morons who were likely not raised around this area. The judge is obviously the same.. there is only one God- our creator and judge, you ain’t it!!

  30. For everyone praising this man, I bet if I went I to your social media accounts I’d see comments of “just obey commands!”

  31. Start a legal fund to sue him and I will throw in. Wait till they spring the next pandemic on us. That was just a trial run to control all of us.

  33. The judge is far overreaching in my opinion. The sheriff has the ability to release any prisoner at any time regardless what a judge says once you enter the jail he is in charge not the judge. That is exactly what should have happened here! Good people should not go to jail because a judge wants to make a point! We live in a world full of crime YOUR HONOR!

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