Young Thug now officially has a third judge presiding over his drama-ridden YSL RICO trial.
As previously reported, Judge Ural Glanville, who had been overseeing the trial since it started, was removed on Monday (July 15).
Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel had filed a motion to dismiss Glanville from the case after he met with prosecutors and state witness Kenneth Copeland last month without the knowledge of the rapper and his legal team.
He was then replaced by Judge Shakura Ingram – who then recused herself on Wednesday (July 17) because of a romantic relationship her former courthouse deputy had with a co-defendant in the case.
Just hours later, however, Ingram was replaced by Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, who is now officially listed in court dockets as presiding over the case, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Whitaker, who has been a judge in Fulton County since 2017, is a former Fulton County prosecutor and also worked at the state Attorney General’s office.
Both Ingram and Whitaker were selected randomly, according to the report.
In the aftermath of Glanville’s removal earlier this week, Thug’s lawyer Steel said in a statement: “Jeffrey Williams [Young Thug] 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.”
He continued: “Sadly, Judge Glanville and the prosecutors have run afoul of their duties under of [sic] 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. We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.”
Attorneys for Thug’s co-defendant and fellow YSL rapper Yak Gotti (real name Deamonte Kendrick) have also announced that they will file a motion for a mistrial in the turbulent case.
Controversy around Glanville erupted in June after he had a private meeting with Copeland and prosecutors, which critics argue should have happened in open court.
