Young Thug’s trial halted, defense tries to get judge removed from case

The judge overseeing the prosecution of Young Thug and others on extortion and gang charges on Monday put the lengthy trial on hold until another judge rules on motions by several defendants to withdraw from the case.

Attorneys for the rapper and several other defendants filed motions to recuse Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville after he held a meeting with prosecutors and a prosecution witness at which neither the defendants nor defense attorneys were present.

They said the meeting was “inappropriate” and that the judge and prosecutors tried to pressure the witness, who had been granted immunity, to testify.

Judge Glanville said jurors who are already in recess until July 8 will be notified that they will not be needed until the case is resolved.

It’s the latest delay in a trial that has dragged on for more than a year, in part because of a series of problems. Jury selection in the case began in January 2023 and lasted nearly 10 months. Opening statements were made in November, and prosecutors have been making their case since then, calling dozens of witnesses.

Judge Glanville last month found Young Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, guilty of contempt of court for refusing to tell the judge how he found out about the meeting outside of court. Steel was sentenced to 10 consecutive weekends in jail, but the Georgia Supreme Court stayed the sentence pending an appeal.

During a hearing Monday without jurors present, Judge Glanville said he would release a transcript of a meeting he had with prosecutors and state witness Kenneth Copeland and Copeland’s lawyer. He said he would also let another judge decide whether he should be removed from the case.

Judge Glanville told lawyers he would make an order transferring the recusal case to another judge, adding: “We’ll meet in a moment, depending on how that’s decided, okay?”

“Your Majesty, do we have a timeline for considering the motion to recuse the judge?” asked prosecutor Simone Hylton.

“I don’t know,” the judge replied, saying the court clerk would have to assign it to another judge. “I have nothing to do with it.”

Ms Hylton asked whether the case could be expedited, citing concerns about jurors being held “indefinitely”.

Judge Glanville said he understood the concerns and hoped action would be taken quickly.

He insisted there was nothing improper about the meeting. He said prosecutors had asked to talk about Mr. Copeland’s immunity agreement.

Young Thug has enjoyed success since he began rapping as a teenager and serves as CEO of his own record label, Young Stoner Life, or YSL. Artists on his record label are considered part of the “Slime Family,” and the compilation album Slime Language 2 reached number one on the U.S. charts in April 2021.

But prosecutors say YSL also stands for Young Slime Life, a violent Atlanta-based street gang with ties to the nationwide Bloods gang that was founded in 2012 by Young Thug and two others.

Prosecutors say those named in the indictment are responsible for violent crimes — including homicides, shootings and carjackings — aimed at raising money for the gang, cultivating its reputation and expanding its power and territory.