Judge in Young Thug trial recuses himself from case

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Oral Glanville, who was overseeing the Atlanta, Georgia, trial of Young Thug and five of his associates, has been recused from the case, according to reports. Atlanta Journal ConstitutionAttorneys for defendants Young Thug and Demonte Kendrick filed motions alleging that Glanville held a secret meeting with prosecutors and key witness Kenneth Copeland to pressure him to testify, which the attorneys rejected. argue The meeting was improper and unconstitutional. In response, Glanville indefinitely stayed the case in early July. Judge Rachel Kraus has now ruled that while Glanville did not discuss anything improper during that meeting and the court believes he can still fairly preside over the case, the meeting should have been held in public and, therefore, Glanville should be excused in order to maintain “public confidence in the judicial system.”

In the order, the Supreme Court said all judges must disclose information in a “non-emotional and non-controversial” manner to avoid appearing biased. “In presenting his record on the recusal issues and in ruling on Kendrick’s motion, Judge Glanville evaluated and accepted the truth of his factual claims, which led to his recusal,” the order said. The Fulton court clerk confirmed that Judge Shukura Ingram had been assigned to the case on Glanville’s behalf.

“Jeffrey Williams is innocent of the charges in this indictment, and in order to clear his name, he sought a speedy trial, one in which he would receive the constitutional guarantees of a fair trial, with an impartial judge and ethical prosecutors who follow the law,” Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steele, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Judge Glanville and the prosecutors erred in their duties under the law. Mr. Williams is grateful that the reviewing court agreed with him and issued an order disqualifying Judge Glanville and disqualifying him from presiding over Mr. Williams’ case. We look forward to moving forward with a trial judge who follows the law fairly and conscientiously.”

The Young Thug case is already the longest criminal trial in Georgia history, taking 18 months, and another long trial is sure to follow. Jury selection took 10 months, and just two weeks after the trial began in late November, another delay occurred when one of Young Thug’s co-defendants, Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed in jail and hospitalized; Stillwell survived the attack.

Before today’s verdict, Young Thug’s trial was expected to last until 2025, and prosecutors had not yet completed half of the expected witness list, which includes more than 200 people. Former Judicial Qualifications Commission Chairman Chuck Boring said: Atlanta Journal Constitution Boring said Ingram will review the case and decide whether she, as the new judge, should move forward with the case or recuse herself. Once she does, “defense attorneys will likely file a motion for a retrial.”

Young Thug faces a number of charges at trial, most of which are based on the allegation that he led the Young Slime Life (YSL) gang, which had ties to the national Bloods organization. In opening arguments, Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Adrienne Love told the jury that Young Thug “moved like a pack” and that Young Thug was “his boss” as he sought to dominate the Atlanta area. The defense countered by claiming that Young Thug was simply a record label whose artists adhered to the conventions of rap music, presenting entertaining accounts of criminal lives that its practitioners did not actually practice.

The judge also allowed prosecutors to introduce song lyrics as evidence, a controversial legal method that analysts have rejected.