Young Thug’s Trial Is the Longest in Georgia History. Here’s Where the Case Stands
Another judge overseeing the racketeering case against rapper Young Thug has been recused from the case, extending the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history.
On Monday, Judge Ural Glanville was recused from the case after lawyers representing the Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, filed a complaint relating to alleged “improper meetings” between Glanville, two prosecutors, and Kenneth Copeland, a witness in the case. Glanville presided over the case for 18 months.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The judge who recused Glanville, Judge Rachel Krause, said that although she did not think the meeting or matter discussed were inherently improper, she made a decision out of “the necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system.” Fulton County Judge Shukura Ingram was set to replace Glanville, but disqualified herself on Wednesday shortly after she was assigned to it because of an “appearance of impropriety,” court documents say. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker will now oversee the trial.
Young Thug is accused of leading a street gang in the greater Atlanta area. He was arrested in May 2022, and is currently in Fulton County Jail. More than 25 others were also charged in the case, including popular rapper Gunna, though many have sought plea deals over the course of time, or are separately being tried.
“You know, this isn’t about just me or YSL,” said Young Thug in a 2022 interview from jail. “I always use my music as a form of artistic expression, and I see now that Black artists and rappers don’t have that freedom. Everybody please sign the Protect Black Art petition and keep praying for us.”
The case has been delayed due to several factors, including the stabbing of Shannon Stillwell, another defendant in the case, in jail, but has also proven arduous for the prosecution because of the high number of defendants.
Clips from the trial have also been posted to social media—prompting snarky online reactions and viral moments. Here’s what to know about the trial.
What charges is Young Thug facing?
Young Thug is facing charges for violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for his alleged involvement in criminal gang activity. The rapper is also facing other charges regarding possession of a firearm, possession of drugs with the intention to distribute, and participation in criminal street gang activity.
Prosecutors claim the rapper is the leader of Young Slime Life or YSL, a street gang that has committed crimes, including murder, robbery, drug dealing, among other things. YSL is also the acronym for his record label, Young Stoner Life Records. The prosecution alleges the gang is affiliated with the Bloods, a street gang that originated in Los Angeles in the 1970s but has since extended across the U.S. Judge Glanville previously ruled that the rapper’s lyrics could be used as evidence in court.
Young Thug has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, though other defendants in the case have taken different positions. Rapper Gunna, for instance, entered a guilty plea—despite personally maintaining his innocence. Gunna was released from jail in December 2022 after seven months in jail. He will have to perform 500 hours of community service.
Why was a new judge assigned?
Defense attorneys filed a complaint to remove Judge Glanville for the case because of a meeting between Glanville, Copeland, Copeland’s attorneys, and the prosecution. Representatives for Young Thug were not present at the meeting or aware that it was happening, they claim.
Copeland, also known as Lil Woody, was thought to be a key witness in the case who could speak to Young Thug’s alleged criminal activity. But Copeland has gone viral online for his apparent reluctance to answer questions and actively participate in the trial.
On June 6, the state announced that it would call Copeland to testify the following day, according to court documents. Because the witness refused and said they would be invoking their fifth amendment right, the state says that it presented Judge Glanville a “motion to compel the testimony of Kenneth Copeland, extending immunity” for his testimony and asking the court to hold Copeland in contempt if he still refused to testify. The court agreed to the motion.
However, on June 7, Copeland said that he would still be pleading the fifth. Copeland was later put into custody for not testifying, according to the state’s response to the recusal. Judge Glanville then said in front of the defendants and their attorneys that he would bring Copeland back to court on June 10 to see if he would testify. On the morning of the 10th, “the State requested from the Court an in-chambers meeting with counsel for Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Copeland, the Court, and an attorney for the State, to discuss the contempt proceedings initiated against Mr. Copeland upon the State’s motion,” per court documents.
After the meeting, Brian Steel, Young Thug’s attorney, asked for a mistrial because of Judge Glanville’s meeting. Steel and another attorney filed for Glanville’s recusal from the case, which Judge Krause granted.
Judge Shukura Ingram was set to preside over the case, but personally recused herself on Wednesday because a former deputy of hers colluded with one of the other defendants in the case, Christian Eppinger, to commit a felony. Since this deputy could be called as a witness in the case, Judge Ingram says that overseeing this case “may undermine the public’s confidence in the impartiality of the proceedings.”
Where does the trial stand now?
The trial has been undeniably long, with opening statements for the case beginning in November 2023, after a 10-month jury selection process.