On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, ABC13 reported that the judge presiding over the high-profile racketeering trial of rapper Young Thug was removed from the case. Judge Ural Glanville, who had been overseeing the trial in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta for the past 18 months, was ordered off the case by Judge Rachel Krause.
Judge Krause’s decision came after two of the defendants in the case, Young Thug and one other, filed motions requesting Judge Glanville’s recusal. This was in response to a meeting Judge Glanville held with prosecutors and a state witness for the case, which did not include the defense attorneys.
While Judge Krause noted she found nothing inherently improper about the meeting, she ordered Judge Glanville to step down to preserve the public’s trust in the judicial system. In her order, Krause wrote, “the necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville.”
Taking over the high-profile case will be Judge Shukura Ingram. Judge Glanville did not provide comment on his removal from the case. His replacement marks the latest interruption in what has already been the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia’s history.
Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is one of 28 people indicted in May 2022 on conspiracy and racketeering charges connected to his YSL record label. His trial began in early 2023 alongside five co-defendants, while others are scheduled to face separate trials. Last November, Judge Glanville made a precedent-setting ruling allowing rap lyrics as evidence in the trial conditionally.
The request to remove Judge Glanville was filed by Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, in June. Steel cited the judge’s “secret” meeting with a prosecution witness as grounds for recusal. When asked by Judge Glanville how he learned of the meeting, Steel refused to disclose his source, leading to Judge Glanville holding Steel in contempt of court and sentencing him to 20 days in jail.
Steel’s wife, attorney Colette Resnik Steel, filed an emergency motion which was granted by the Georgia Supreme Court, allowing Steel to be released on bond as his contempt order is appealed. Last week, Steel filed another 200-page motion again calling for Glanville’s recusal and suggesting newly assigned Judge Krause may not be impartial to rule on the issue due to a $2,000 campaign donation to Glanville.
In a statement, Steel said Williams is “grateful” the court agreed to remove Glanville, calling for a judge who will “fairly and faithfully follow the law.” The high-profile racketeering trial, which has already faced delays, will now continue under new leadership with Judge Ingram presiding over proceedings.
Source: ABC13
