JA RULE - JUDGE RULES AGAINST JA RULE POSTING BAIL FOR CO-DEFENDANTS

A New York judge has ruled rapper JA RULE cannot post bail for his two co-defendants in a gun possession case. In a hearing on Wednesday (27Feb08), State Supreme Justice Micki Scherer told the court she's "troubled" that Ja Rule, real name Jeffrey Atkins, paid thousands of dollars in bail for Dennis Cherry and Mohamed Gamal. Scherer said the hip-hop star has "put himself in the position of perhaps controlling the outcome of the case," adding, "I think the potential for (that) is a big problem." Cherry and Gamal must now raise their own bail money. The three men were arrested and charged with criminal weapons possession last summer (07), after a loaded semi-automatic firearm was allegedly found in a car they were travelling in.