Judge Halts Young Thug's Georgia Trial Amid Misconduct Complaints

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Oral Glanville made the surprise announcement as lawyers gathered for a special hearing scheduled to review the minutes of a June 10 meeting between the judge, prosecutors and Kenneth Copeland, a Young Thug associate and a star witness in the gang conspiracy case.

Several defense attorneys sought to have Glanville removed from overseeing the case, calling his meeting with a sworn witness “improper” and accusing the judge and prosecutors of pressuring a key witness to testify — requests Glanville rejected.

Last month, Young Thug's lead attorney, Brian Steele, was found guilty of contempt of court and ordered to spend 20 weekends in jail after he questioned Glanville about the meeting and refused to say who told him about it — a ruling that was later stayed by the Georgia Supreme Court while Steele appealed.

On Monday, Glanville abruptly announced the hearing date and announced from the bench that he intended to release the full transcript of the meeting with Copeland “so that everyone can see it.” He then reversed his decision, announcing that he would refer the recusal motions to another judge to determine whether he should remain on the case.

“We will be on break until then,” Glanville announced.

The announcement came as a surprise to many, including prosecutors who immediately raised concerns about influencing the jury in what is already the longest criminal trial in Georgia history, at 18 months and counting. Jurors have not heard testimony in the case since June 17 amid disputes over Copeland’s testimony and evidentiary issues.

“Do we have a timeline for hearing the motion to recuse?” asked Simone Hilton, Fulton County Deputy District Attorney and lead prosecutor in the case.

“I don't know,” Glanville replied, “I have nothing to do with it.”

The dramatic developments come as the racketeering trial of Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, has dragged on at a frenetic pace, marred by jury and witness problems and other daily turmoil that has engulfed the high-profile prosecution led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D).

Young Thug’s trial is one of two high-profile criminal racketeering cases led by Willis’s office. Last summer, the veteran prosecutor brought charges against former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen of his associates, alleging they conspired to try to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.

That case has now stalled, with Trump and others appealing a judge's decision to allow Wells to continue prosecuting the case amid complaints that she had an inappropriate romantic relationship with the former lead prosecutor in the case.

Young Thug and 27 other associates were indicted in May 2022 as part of a sweeping grand jury indictment alleging that the rapper and his associates were members of a violent criminal street gang in Atlanta.

Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug was the leader of the gang known as YSL, or Young Slime Life, and charged him with criminal racketeering and gang charges while others were charged with other violent crimes, including murder and attempted armed robbery.

Young Thug's lawyers responded by saying that YSL is just a record company, and attacked prosecutors for introducing Young Thug's lyrics as evidence at trial, arguing that his rhymes were merely artistic expression, not a literal account of criminal acts.

Jury selection in the case began in January 2023 and took 10 months. Opening statements were given in late November — though proceedings were halted almost immediately after one of Young Thug’s co-defendants was stabbed in jail and taken to the hospital. Proceedings resumed in January but have been marred by persistent delays, including repeated arguments between lawyers and the judge.

Monday marked the 100th day of proceedings since the trial began, though jurors have heard testimony on only about half of those days. Prosecutors have yet to reach the middle of an expected witness list of more than 200 people.

Lawyers in the case have suggested the trial could last until 2025 or beyond — though that was before the recent unrest, which has raised questions about the future of the proceedings and whether Glanville will retain control of the case.

Defense attorneys have repeatedly accused Glanville of bias, allegations that have grown more intense in recent weeks. In a June 17 motion, Steele accused Glanville of being an unofficial member of the prosecution team seeking to convict his client.

Meanwhile, an attorney for one of the other defendants filed an emergency petition with the Georgia Supreme Court to halt the case and consider whether Glanville should recuse himself — a request the high court denied on procedural grounds because it had not been heard by a lower court first.

“Glanville’s actions undermine the public’s confidence in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” Doug Weinstein, an attorney for rapper Yak Gotti, whose real name is Demonte Kendrick, wrote in an appeal brief. “The appearance of impropriety and bias clouds the current trial because of Glanville’s failure to follow the law.”

Although it declined to hear the motion, the Georgia Supreme Court notably said in its ruling that if Weinstein filed his motion in Fulton County Superior Court, Glanville “would be disqualified from presiding over the matter” and “a different judge would hear the matter.”

Weinstein refiled his plea late Friday in Fulton County, which was assigned to a different judge.

It remains unclear whether that prompted Monday’s events. From the podium, Glanville read what he said was a written order, describing the timeline of events leading up to the private meeting with Copeland. He cited numerous court rulings while claiming he had done nothing wrong.

“In this particular case, the court finds, based on case law, that this was a lawful one-sided meeting,” Glanville said.