The YSL case has been a consistent source of drama. What seemed like a straightforward RICO charge at the onset has turned into a highly publicized saga in which lawyers and judges are trying to get each removed from the court. Young Thug's lawyer, Brian Steel, has really stirred the pot in the last few weeks, in particular. Steel has not only refused to name sources, but he has officially filed a motion to recuse the judge Ural Glanville from the case.
The motion was announced on June 17. Steel is requesting that Glanville be taken off the YSL case, and be replaced with another judge. The lawyer wants to ensure that Glanville gets removed from "all further dealings" related to his client's criminal charges. This makes sense, given the accusations Steel leveled at Glanville the week prior. Young Thug's lawyer confronted Glanville in court and castigated him for his decision to meet with a witness in private. Steel claimed that the witness in question, Kenneth Copeland, was told he would be imprisoned until the end of the trial if he refused to testify against Thug. Copeland previously asserted that he would not, which led Steel to accuse the judge of coercion.
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Young Thug's Lawyer Was Held In Contempt
"If that’s true, what this is is coercion," Steel explained to the judge. "[That's witness intimidation, ex parte communications that we have a constitutional right to be present for. Glanville tried to get info on the source of Steel's information, but the lawyer kept quiet. Glanville then held Young Thug's lawyer in "criminal contempt," and sentenced him to 10 weekends in jail. Fortunately, for the lawyer, he was not forced to serve time behind bars after filing a motion. The accusations of coercion, coupled with the newest motion filed by Steel, could upend the entire trial.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Young Thug case has already lasted 18 months. This makes it the longest trial in Georgia's history. Don Samuel, who represented musician Gunna in a related case, criticized Glanville's actions. “It is unconscionable, to put it mildly, what the judge has done," the attorney told the outlet. "He became a bully and started demanding answers from a defense lawyer who was ethically obligated to challenge the procedures being used." If what Don Samuel says is the agreed upon interpretation, than Steel will likely get his recusal.
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