Judge Removed From Young Thug’s RICO Trial Following Accusations of “Improper” Meeting With Prosecutors and Prosecution Witness

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Judge Ural Glanville has been removed from Young Thug and YSL’s ongoing RICO trial.

Judge Rachel Krause issued the rule but did not reveal Judge Glanville’s replacement or the change’s immediate effects on the trial, which has become Georgia’s longest criminal trial in history. “This court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied,” she wrote via Billboard. “But the necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case.”

Thugger’s lawyer Brian Steel welcomed Judge Krause’s ruling, “Jeffery Williams is innocent of the charges brought in this indictment and 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 presiding and ethical prosecutors following the law.” He continued, “Sadly, Judge Glanville and the prosecutors have run afoul of their duties under of the law.”

A motion to recuse Judge Glanville from the case was filed by Young Thug and his codefendants after Glanville was accused of improperly meeting with prosecutors and prosecution witness Kenneth Copeland, but without anyone from the defense in attendance. They alleged that Judge Glanville and the prosecution were trying to pressure the witness, who had received immunity, into testifying.