Facing possible jail time and a fine for what appeared to be an innocent act, the music superstar finally chose to take down the photo that sent the internet into a panic yesterday.
On October 25th, Justin Timberlake uploaded a photo of himself in a Memphis polling place casting his ballot for the 2016 Presidential Election. His intent was to encourage the thousands of non-voting public to get out and participate in the democracy we are blessed to have.
While his intentions appeared to be pure, the act of taking a photograph inside of a polling booth is against state law, and punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine.
The District Attorney’s office informed news outlets that the matter was currently “under review” leading them to believe there was an investigation into the matter and that it very well could lead to jail time.
Not too long afterward, the Shelby County District Attorney General, Amy Weirich, issued a statement clearly outlining her office’s intent with the matter.
“The statement released earlier today regarding Justin Timberlake & an investigation was incorrect & was released without my knowledge,” Weirich says on her official Twitter account. “No one in our office is currently investigating this matter nor will we be using our limited resources to do so.”
Thankfully, Timberlake won’t have to deal with any nonsense or legal hiccups because of an honest mistake. We are glad to hear that the D.A.’s time will be spent on matters more urgent and important to the community.
The statement released earlier today regarding Justin Timberlake & an investigation was incorrect & was released without my knowledge.
— Shelby County District Attorney’s Office (@ShelbyCountyDA) October 25, 2016
No one in our office is currently investigating this matter nor will we be using our limited resources to do so.
— Shelby County District Attorney’s Office (@ShelbyCountyDA) October 25, 2016
What do you think of all that’s happened surrounding his photo?
Check out the now-deleted photo below and the caption he shared with his fans.
“Hey! You! Yeah, YOU! I just flew from LA to Memphis to #rockthevote !!! No excuses, my good people! There could be early voting in your town too. If not, November 8th! Choose to have a voice! If you don’t, then we can’t HEAR YOU! Get out and VOTE! #excerciseyourrighttovote”