The judge in the YSL RICO trial has been recused, capping a bizarre subplot as the case trudges on. Judge Ural Glanville will no longer oversee the case, a month after his scrutinized private meeting with prosecutors and an uncooperative witness. Judge Rachel Krause, who ruled on the recusal, wrote that the ex parte meeting was not inappropriate, but cited the “necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system†in recusing Glanville, Atlanta’s 11 Alive reported. (Krause had denied a separate motion to recuse herself from deciding on Glanville’s recusal over a $2,000 campaign donation she received from Glanville.) The case, which has been on hold since July 1 over the recusal, has since been reassigned to Judge Shukura L. Ingram. The court has not said when it will resume.
The meeting occurred after rapper Lil Woody, one of the prosecution’s star witnesses who had been granted immunity, was held in contempt of court for refusing to testify. After spending a weekend in jail, Woody, his attorney, and prosecutors met with Glanville on June 10. The meeting was not disclosed to Brian Steel, representation for main defendant Young Thug, but Steel later learned of the meeting and mentioned it in court. When Steel refused to tell Glanville how he found out about the meeting, Glanville held Steel in contempt and sentenced him to weekend prison time, but his sentence has since been reversed. In a recent filing from Steel and attorney Keith Adams, they argued Glanville had “morphed into an essential part of the prosecution team.â€
The trial — against five defendants the state alleges is a gang called Young Slime Life — has become the longest in Georgia history since it began last November after ten months of jury selection. Glanville’s recusal is the latest holdup for the case, after defendant Shannon Stilwell was stabbed in jail and Young Thug was hospitalized. When the case resumes under a new judge, prosecutors will still be calling witnesses.
This post has been updated.