Young Thug’s YSL Racketeering Trial Paused After Defense Requests New Judge

The YSL racketeering conspiracy trial has hit another roadblock. The already tumultuous trial centered around rapper Young Thug — who has been accused of co-founding and overseeing a gang called “Young Slime Life” in Atlanta — has been paused while the court addresses requests from the defense to replace Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville.

Glanville reportedly met with prosecutors and a prosecution witness without defendants and defense attorneys present. In response, legal representatives for both Young Thug and several other defendants filed motions describing the meeting as “improper” and suggesting that the judge and prosecutors were attempting to pressure the witness into providing testimony after already being granted immunity.

According to the Associated Press, a different judge is currently ruling on how to proceed regarding Judge Glanville. Jurors for the case have been notified that they will not be required to appear in court until the situation is resolved. They were already on a break until July 8, when witness testimony was scheduled to resume.

Since jury selection began in January 2023, the YSL trial has become the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s state history. Opening statements were delivered in November 2023, more than a year after Young Thug was arrested in May 2022. There are five co-defendants in the trial, including fellow rap artist Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick. Nine other defendants previously reached plea deals with prosecutors.

“We’re approximately seven months into hearing evidence in front of a jury, and the state has yet to get through half of their witness list,” Kendrick’s lawyer, Doug Weinstein, recently told Rolling Stone. “While I highly respect Judge Glanville and his contributions to the community though his decades on the bench and his longstanding service to our country in the military, I believe that he has allowed this case to go off the rails.”