Judge Removed from Young Thug RICO Trial, Case Reassigned

The Young Thug RICO trial, already the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history, has faced another setback as the presiding judge has been recused. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville is no longer overseeing the case.

This decision came after a motion filed by Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steele, and co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick’s lawyer, Doug Weinstein, calling for Glanville’s removal.

The attorneys requested the judge’s removal following a secret meeting he held with prosecutors and a state witness, Kenneth “YSL Woody” Copeland, in his chambers without notifying them. Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause granted the motion on July 15 and advised the Fulton clerk to reassign the trial to another judge.

Weinstein argued that Kendrick should be granted a bond after this development. “While we continue to respect Chief Judge Glanville, we agree with Judge Krause that Judge Glanville’s actions at least give the appearance of impropriety.

We also maintain that Chief Judge Glanville was biased against Mr. Kendrick and the other defendants in this case,” Weinstein said. “We look forward to trying this case before an unbiased judge to a just conclusion that will free Mr. Kendrick.”

Complex reported that Judge Krause’s decision was aimed at preserving public confidence in the judicial system. The motion for Glanville’s recusal was filed after he held Thug’s attorney, Steele, in contempt of court for accusing him of misconduct during open court proceedings.

Steele alleged that Glanville had threatened to jail “YSL Woody” for not cooperating with prosecutors as per his plea deal. Tom Church, a trial attorney present during the court proceedings, commented on the incident to Atlanta News First. “The judge was having ex parte communications with the district attorney and a witness,” Church stated.

“That means he was talking to the attorney and the witness without anyone from the defense being present. And that is generally considered improper.”

The trial will now proceed under a new judge as the defense seeks a fair and unbiased conclusion to the case.