Young Thug and his YSL crew’s fortune hangs in the balance after their massive RICO trial gets a screeching halt. This courtroom drama could be essential to getting these defendants out of jail, as well as being crucial context for what may end up proving a fair trial.
Judge Ural Glanville sits at the middle of that firestorm. The tenacious Brian Steel, leads the defense team which has consistently questioned whether Glanville kept an open mind and cites a secret meeting on June 10 between prosecutors in her chambers – including Copeland as well just before he testified. Steel says this “backroom deal” never should have happened and it may affect the strength of their case against Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams.
BREAKING: Young Thug’s YSL RICO trial is on hold until further notice.
Judge Glanville has agreed to have another judge address the defense’s motions to have him recused from the trial. PIC.TWITTER.COM/IYFGSVZMZ0
— Akademiks TV (@AkademiksTV) JULY 1, 2024
Steel has been a man on one mission, however and that is to uncover the roots of cricket corruption which may have gotten him into trouble. His persistent questioning of the judge landed him in court and ultimately earned a contempt charge, with which he now seeks to be freed. But despite all that, Steel has filed numerous motions for the recusal of Judge Glanville and at one point he asked for an outright mistrial.
The defense argues that Judge Glanville’s actions unfairly compromised defendants’ right to a fair trial. Steel has filed emergency petitions to find another judge to consider the recusal motion, and also demanding release of transcript from meeting The defense also has asked the Georgia Supreme Court to halt proceedings in Dougherty County and decide whether Chason would unjustly benefit by not having Smith try his case.
The image painted by the prosecution, however, is quite different. They label YSL a violent street gang with deep ties to criminal enterprises, which allows them to bring the RICO charges under Georgia State Law. Defense has fought back this narrative, claiming that YSL is just a regular record label (Young Stoner Life) and Young Thug as an artist – not a gang leader.
The trial kicked off on November 2023 and its a stop-start marathon. Just the potential witnesses could tack on years to this thing in court. Doubtless there has been no unclenching of defense we want here to be represented as fairness itself and thus it was never going to fall clear; the open-and-shut one.
As for the trial, however long it takes to shake out of limbo; ladles glare at Judge Glanville. This fight over recusal will determine the path of this high-stakes case. Here’s the defense team as we (most likely) know it, and just a slice of what exactly goes into making hit songs in potentially one cruel way.
