Young Thug Case Hanging By Thread After Judge Botches Trial

Judge Ural Glanville may have damaged Young Thug’s Georgia RICO trial beyond repair. The YSL rapper faced a potential mistrial following the judge’s recusal, per his co-defendant Yak Gotti’s attorney Douglas Weinstein.

Weinstein said state law required the trial to rewind to June 12. Jurors heard key witness Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland testify after that date, which may compel a new judge to declare a mistrial.

“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but if we ask for a mistrial, it’s because we were goaded into that through the actions of the prosecution as well as the judge and given that goading, double jeopardy should attach and [Yak Gotti] should not be retried,” Weinstein told Rolling Stone’s Nancy Dillon.

Judge Rachel Krause ordered Judge Glanville to recuse himself from the YSL RICO trial on Monday (July 15). Defense lawyers sought Glanville’s recusal over his secret meeting with Copeland and prosecutors.

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Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel confronted Glanville about the meeting in June. Steel accused Glanville and prosecutors of coercing Copeland into testifying in the trial. Glanville demanded to know who told Steel about the meeting. Steel refused to reveal the source of his information. Glanville held Steel in contempt and sentenced the attorney to 20 days in jail.

The Georgia Supreme Court granted bond to Steel, preventing him from spending any time in jail. Young Thug and his co-defendants continued to pursue Glanville’s removal from the trial. Glanville initially refused to recuse himself before letting another judge settle the matter. Krause sided with the defense.

“This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, 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,” Krause ruled.

Young Thug’s trial was on hold until Krause decided on Glanville’s recusal. Young Thug remains in jail.