The judge in the criminal racketeering case against Young Thug recessed the trial indefinitely until an outside judge can review motions from the Atlanta rapper and others seeking to recuse the judge amid allegations that he and prosecutors held an improper meeting with a key witness. Fulton County Judge Ural Glanville made the surprise announcement as attorneys gathered for a private hearing to review the transcript of a June 10 meeting between the judge, prosecutors and Kenneth Copeland, a Young Thug associate and star witness in the gang conspiracy case. Defense attorneys want to remove Glanville 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 — motions that Glanville had denied, reports the Washington Post.
Brian Steel, Young Thug’s lead attorney, was found in criminal contempt and ordered to serve 20 weekend days in jail after he questioned Glanville about the meeting and refused to reveal who told him about it. On Monday, Glanville abruptly made the hearing public and announced that he planned to release the full transcript of the meeting with Copeland “so everyone will have a chance to look at it.” He then reversed himself, announcing that he would refer recusal motions to another judge to determine whether he should remain on the case. The announcement appeared to catch many by surprise, including prosecutors who raised concerns about the impact on 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 evidence issues. The developments came as the racketeering trial against Young Thur (Jeffery Lamar Williams) has dragged on at a glacial pace amid the turmoil that has engulfed the high-profile prosecution led by District Attorney Fani Willis.