The RICO trial against alleged YSL members got its third judge in three days this week, after Shukura L. Ingram recused herself on July 17. Now, it looks like Judge Paige Reese Whitaker will be sticking with the case.
Another day, another recusal
July 17: Judge Shukura L. Ingram has now recused herself from the YSL trial, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported July 17, citing an improper relationship between a defendant and one of her former deputies. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has now been assigned to the case. Ingram was previously assigned to the case on July 15 after Judge Ural Glanville, the original judge, was recused over a scrutinized meeting with prosecutors and a witness.
The relationship at the center of Ingram’s recusal was between Christian Eppinger, who faces 15 counts in the YSL case, and Akeiba Stanley, then a deputy in the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Eppinger’s case has been severed from the broader YSL trial, while Stanley was arrested and fired in June 2023. Judge Ingram noted that Stanley had been assigned to her courtroom for six months, and could be called as a future witness in the YSL case, meaning Ingram would have to preside over her testimony. “This may undermine the public’s confidence in the impartiality of the proceedings,†Ingram wrote in her order of recusal.
So, the trial will soon be assigned to yet another new judge. And attorneys for Young Thug (born Jeffery Williams), one of six defendants in the main case, have already filed a new motion for a mistrial following Judge Glanville’s recusal. “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’s case,†his attorney, Brian Steel, told Vulture. “We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.†Amid the recusals, jurors have not heard new testimony since June 17, in what is already the longest trial in Georgia history.
Round three
July 19: The YSL trial’s newest judge sounds committed to the case at the latest status hearing. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker spent most of the July 19 hearing focused on how to continue the trial, while acknowledging her current unfamiliarity with the case. “Obviously, I am parachuting in, and I’m going to have to pick up from here and go forward,†she said at one point. Now, Whitaker’s task will be reviewing a number of Judge Glanville’s recent rulings, while also becoming familiar with the case. She said she has asked Glanville’s court reporter to begin preparing transcripts and has asked attorneys to file and respond to any new motions in the next week. Whitaker set the next hearing for July 30, without the jury, to begin ruling on new motions. She tentatively plans to bring the jury back on August 5, after a previously scheduled break, assuming all motions have been given rulings.
Whitaker laid plans to run a more efficient courtroom. Court will run from 8:45 a.m. to around 6 p.m., “And when I say 8:45, I mean 8:45,†she said. She added that defendants need to pare back their number of outfits to help deputies, and that she does not want defendants using headphones during court. Whitaker also asked both sides for a list of planned witnesses, alluding that she may make cuts in the interest of efficiency. And the judge encouraged the prosecution and defense to discuss possible new plea deals during the current break in testimony. “I’m willing to entertain any kind of plea at any time,†Whitaker said, adding that she will also provide “a fair trial,†if defendants decide to move forward.
This post has been updated.