*The judge overseeing the ongoing racketeering and gang prosecution involving Young Thug in Atlanta has been removed from the case following recusal motions filed by two defendants.
The motions cited a meeting between the judge, prosecutors, and a state witness as grounds for seeking his removal, Court TV reports.
We reported earlier, citing Hip Hop DX, that Fulton County Judge Ural Glanville sparred with Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, over the constitutionality of a meeting with witness Kenneth Copeland. The heated exchange resulted in Glanville agreeing to release the transcripts from the meeting with the prosecutors.
Steel filed a motion to dismiss Glanville from the trial, claiming he had an “unlawful, improper ex parte meeting” with Copeland. The attorney also noted that he and his client received no notice of the meeting.
Scroll to continue reading
The filing states that the meeting violated the rapper’s “constitutional and statutory rights, including the right to due process, a fair trial, a fair tribunal, ethical prosecutors and the right to be present at every critical stage of the proceedings under the Georgia Constitution.”
On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause granted the motions to remove Judge Glanville from the case, USA Today reports. In an earlier EUR report via CNN, prosecutors accused Young Thug of leading a criminal street gang that committed murder and a slew of violent crimes in the Atlanta area over the past decade. Copeland was granted immunity by the prosecution in exchange for his testimony.
“This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied,” Krause wrote in her ruling, “but the ‘necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system’ weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case.”
In a statement, Young Thug’s lawyers said the rapper “is innocent of the charges brought in this indictment and to clear his name he sought a speedy trial, one in which he would receive the constitutional guarantees of a fair trial with an impartial judge presiding and ethical prosecutors following the law.
“Sadly, Judge Glanville and the prosecutors have run afoul of their duties under of the law. Mr. Williams is grateful that the reviewing court agreed with him and entered the order recusing and disqualifying Judge Glanville from presiding over Mr. Williams’ case,” the statement continued. “We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Young Thug Trial Delayed Pending Judge’s Potential Removal
