ATLANTA (CelebrityAccess) — The judge overseeing the long-running trial of Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug has reportedly been removed from the trial after two defendants sought his recusal after a meeting between the judge, a witness, and the prosecutor that the defense argued was improper.
According to the Associated Press, records show that Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was recused from the case by Judge Rachel Krause, who granted to the defense’s motion to remove Glanville from the legal proceedings.
Krause noted that she believed “Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter,” she removed him from the case to preserve the public’s confidence in the judicial system, the AP reported.
Lawyers for Young Thug and co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick sought to remove Glanville from overseeing the case after he met with prosecutors and prosecution witness Kenneth Copeland without having attorneys for the defense present. The defense attorneys argued that the meeting was improper and argued that the prosecutor and judge pressured the witness to provide testimony.
Glanville maintained that the meeting was proper and did not give the prosecution in the case an advantage, the AP reported.
Young Thug, the stage name of Jeffery Lamar Williams, is facing multiple charges in connection with an indictment that alleges he, and dozens of others, were involved in an organized crime group connected with drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and violent crime.
