Interpretation of Slang Language Susceptible to Implicit Bias | New Jersey Law Journal - Law.com

One of the issues presented in State v. Derry, recently granted certification by the New Jersey Supreme Court (Nos. A-13/14-21), is whether it was error to allow an FBI special agent to testify as to his understanding of the meaning of certain urban slang terms used by defendants during wiretapped conversations in which the agent was not a participant.

Thus, for instance, the agent testified regarding an intercepted statement by a defendant that “I’m Gucci,” that the word “Gucci” meant “good;” when an associate said “Caught dat ass slippin,’” that “slippin’” referred to a shooting; that “squally” meant police; that “spinnin’ the hood” meant driving around an area;“ that “we tryin’ dip” meant they were trying to leave; and “it’s hot around here” meant that there was police presence. (Although the defendants made frequent use of a variant of a notorious racial epithet to refer to each other and associates, the appellate opinion does not indicate whether the FBI agent was asked to explain to the jury that in some contexts African Americans use that term not as a pejorative but as a term indicating an ally or colleague.)

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December 06, 2021

source: https://www.law.com/njlawjournal/2021/12/19/interpretation-of-slang-language-susceptible-to-implicit-bias/

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