Why was Judge Ural Glanville removed from the YSL RICO trial against Young Thug? Reason behind recusal explored

On Monday, July 15, the judge presiding over the YSL RICO trial of rapper Young Thug, aka Jeffrey Lamar Williams, was recused after overseeing it for over two years (since May 2022).

Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed after the defense (Young Thug and his co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick's legal team) accused him of secretly meeting with the prosecutors and one of the star witnesses to discuss the proceedings last month.

"This court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, 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," Judge Rachel Krause mentioned in her ruling.

Judge Shukura Ingram has been appointed as the new judge to replace Ural Glanville in Young Thug’s YSL RICO trial. In the wake of Glanville’s recusal, the rapper’s attorney issued a statement.

"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," they stated.

Young Thug’s defense team added that they were looking forward to proceeding with the trial and the newly appointed judge, whom they believe would “fairly and faithfully follow the law.”

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Exploring why Judge Ural Glanville was recused from Young Thug’s YSL RICO trial

On June 10, Judge Ural Glanville reportedly had an ex-parte in-chambers meeting with Georgia state prosecutors and their star witness, Kenneth Copeland, better known as Lil Woody.

Woody, who initially agreed to testify against his longtime YSL associate Young Thug as part of his ongoing racketeering trial, went back and forth on his decision to take the stand but ultimately testified on that same day following the meeting.

In the wake of this, Young Thug’s attorneys learned of the discreet meeting. They accused the involved parties of bias and “unlawful and improper” conduct and asked for the immediate recusal of Judge Glanville.

Also, the defense team claimed that they were not notified of the ex-parte interaction and claimed that the rapper was a victim of an “unconstitutionally unfair trial.” In addition, Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, was held in contempt by Judge Glanville after he refused to divulge his confidential source about the meeting in open court.

Later, on June 17, Young Thug’s counsel filed a motion to remove Judge Glanville alongside a ruling for a mistrial. Initially, the judge dismissed his motions for recusal and mistrial. He also claimed that his meeting was permitted under Georgia state law and argued that the defendant and his legal counsel didn’t have the right to be present in it.

Regardless, the defense continued to pursue the matter, and on Monday, Judge Rachel Krause approved their motion to disqualify Judge Glanville. Judge Krause agreed with Judge Glanville’s assessment of the “propriety of the ex-parte meeting” but thought it was in the best interest of everyone involved that he was recused.

"While the meeting could have – and perhaps should have – taken place in open court, nothing about the fact of the meeting or the substance discussed was inherently improper," Krause wrote in her ruling.

However, she argued that Glanville did not handle the accusations against him properly, deeming it best to separate him from the case.

"While it 'may be appropriate for the judge to disclose information relevant to his potential recusal,' such a 'disclosure must be made in a way that is as objective, dispassionate, and non-argumentative as possible so that the judge is not reasonably perceived as a hostile witness or advocate,'" Krause noted.

Following the judge’s recusal, Young Thug’s team told the press that their client was “innocent of the charges brought in the indictment.” They said they were seeking a “speedy trial,” which would be “fair” and would be overseen by an “impartial judge” and “ethical prosecutors,” who would abide by the legal system.

Notably, Jeffrey Lamar Williams’ trial is the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia's history.