Jurors in the high-profile racketeering and gang prosecution case involving rapper Young Thug and several others reconvened in an Atlanta courtroom on Monday following an eight-week hiatus to accommodate a change in the presiding judge.
The trial had been temporarily halted in early July to address concerns regarding the impartiality of the original judge overseeing the proceedings. After two defendants raised objections and requested his recusal, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case. In his place, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker was appointed to take over.
Upon resuming the trial, witness Kenneth Copeland returned to the stand to continue his testimony. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, faces charges related to racketeering, gang activity, drug offenses, and firearms violations. He is being tried alongside five co-defendants.
Young Thug's defense attorney, Brian Steel, maintains his client's innocence and is seeking a fair trial to clear his name of the allegations.
During the proceedings, defense attorneys for Young Thug and another defendant, Deamonte Kendrick, raised concerns about a meeting that Judge Glanville had with prosecutors and a key witness, Copeland, in the absence of the defendants and their legal representatives. The defense argued that the meeting was improper and suggested that undue pressure may have been exerted on the witness to testify in a certain manner.
Although Judge Krause did not fault Glanville for the meeting, she agreed that his removal was necessary to uphold public confidence in the judicial system. Copeland, who had been granted immunity by prosecutors, reluctantly returned to the witness stand after being warned by Judge Whitaker that he could either testify or remain in custody until the trial's conclusion. Copeland admitted to memory lapses, acknowledged lying to law enforcement in the past, and revealed that he had mentioned Young Thug's name to authorities as a means of extricating himself from trouble.
The trial is expected to continue as the prosecution presents its case against Young Thug and his co-defendants in the coming days.
