Despite a district attorney’s office saying Tuesday that Justin Timberlake was “under review” for illegally taking a photograph at a polling place on Monday, the district attorney herself said later that this is not so.
Amy Weirich, district attorney of Shelby County in Timberlake’s native Tennessee, tweeted: “The statement released earlier today regarding Justin Timberlake & an investigation was incorrect & was released without my knowledge. No one in our office is currently investigating this matter nor will we be using our limited resources to do so.”
Singer-actor Timberlake, 35, attempting to encourage voting, had posted an Instagram selfie at a voting machine in a polling station in suburban Memphis, where early voting is underway. “Hey! You! Yeah, YOU! I just flew from LA to Memphis to #rockthevote!!!” he wrote. “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.”
However, a state law that went into effect this January only allows cellphones to be used to access information to help make election decisions, and prohibits them for conversations, recording, or taking photographs or videos inside the polling place.
After the selfie attracted media attention, a representative from the D.A.’s office told Entertainment Weekly in a statement that the office “was made aware of a possible violation of state election law. The matter is under review of the DA’s office. The law itself TCA2-7-142(B). The offense is a state class C misdemeanor. Any person convicted of this violation could be sentenced up to 30 days or fined no more than $50 or both.”
