UPDATE (July 15):
Young Thug‘s attorney has released the following statement to XXL in the wake of Judge Ural Glanville being recused from the YSL RICO trial.
“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,” the statement reads. “Sadly, Judge Glanville and the prosecutors have run afoul of their duties under of the law. Mr. Williams is grateful that the reviewing court agreed with him and entered the order recusing and disqualifying Judge Glanville from presiding over Mr. Williams’ case. We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.”
UPDATE (July 15):
Following the recusal of Judge Ural Glanville, someone else has been assigned to the YSL RICO case. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Judge Shukura Ingram will step in to take over for Judge Glanville.
ORIGINAL STORY (July 15):
Judge Ural Glanville has been recused from the YSL RICO trial following petitions filed by the attorneys for Young Thug and one of his codefendants.
Judge Removed From YSL Case
The YSL RICO case has been on hold for the past two weeks awaiting the decision on the defendants’ motion to have Judge Glanville removed. On Monday (July 15), the decision came down that Glanville will be taken off of the trial, according to court documents obtained by XXL.
“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,” the court documents read.
Glanville will be reassigned to a new case. It is unclear who will take over for him on the YSL case.
XXL has reached out to Young Thug’s attorney and the Fulton County Superior Court for comment.
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Why Was Judge Glanville Removed From Trial?
The defense’s contention with Judge Glanville came to a head last month after key prosecution witness Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland refused to testify on June 7 and was jailed over the weekend for his failure to do so. The following Monday, Copeland, prosecutors and Judge Glanville had an ex-parte meeting that the defense was not privy to, which led to Copeland returning to the stand.
Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel took issue with the meeting and called Judge Glanville out in court. Glanville responded by demanding Steel disclose how he found out about the meeting. When Steel refused, Glanville ordered he be taken into custody and sentenced to 20 days in jail. The attorneys for Young Thug and his codefendant Deamonte Kendrick responded by filing motions to have Glanville removed from the case, which the court granted following a 10-day pause in the trial.
