Further delays to Young Thug trial after judge removed

The judge who has been overseeing the long-running racketeering trial against Young Thug has been removed.

The Atlanta rapper’s charges were put on hold earlier this month after lawyers for him and co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick asked for the judge to be recused over misconduct allegations.

Their lawyers accused Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville of holding an “improper” meeting on 10 June when he met privately with prosecutors and a key witness.

Glanville maintained that the meeting was proper and argued that no one gained a tactical advantage as a result but while Judge Rachel Krause did not fault him for holding the meeting, she ordered the clerk of court to assign the case to a different judge.

It will now be overseen by Judge Shukura Ingram, according to Rolling Stone.

Krause said she had “no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter”.

But the motion was granted out of the “necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system”, AP reported.

Krause acknowledged that the meeting “could have – and perhaps should have – taken place in open court”.

Brian Steel, a lawyer for Young Thug, said in an emailed statement to AP that his client is innocent and sought to clear his name through a fair trial.

The news has caused more delays in the trial for the rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams.

His case has only inched forward since his arrest in May 2022. Jury selection for the trial – which has included testimony from dozens of witnesses – took nearly 10 months.

Prosecutors have accused the Atlanta rapper of co-founding a violent street gang in his hometown, hitting him with racketeering charges.

Georgia prosecutors used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act – famously used in mafia prosecutions – to charge the rapper and 27 associates who were allegedly involved in the criminal enterprise.

Mr Williams, 32, is also charged with gang, drug and gun crimes and is standing trial with five of the others indicted with him.

Mr Kendrick’s lawyer told Rolling Stone that they are considering requesting a mistrial following the recusal.