The judge overseeing the racketeering and gang prosecution against Young Thug and others on Monday put the long-running trial on hold until another judge rules on requests by several defendants that he step aside from the case. Lawyers for the rapper and several other defendants had filed motions seeking the recusal of Fulton County Superior Court chief judge Ural Glanville after he held a meeting with prosecutors and a prosecution witness at which defendants and defence lawyers were not present. They said the meeting was “improper” and said the judge and prosecutors tried to pressure the witness, who had been granted immunity, into giving evidence.
Jurors, who were already on a break until July 8, would be notified that they will not be needed until the matter is resolved, Judge Glanville said. This is the latest delay in the trial that has dragged on for more than a year, in part because of numerous problems. Jury selection in the case began in January 2023 and took nearly 10 months.
Opening statements were in November and the prosecution has been presenting its case since then, calling dozens of witnesses. American rapper Young Thug (Alamy/PA) Judge Glanville last month held Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel in contempt for refusing to tell the judge how he found out about the out-of-court meeting. Steel was ordered to serve 10 consecutive weekends in jail, but the Georgia Supreme Court put that penalty on hold pending an appeal.
During a hearing Monday without jurors .