Judge Ural Glanville will no longer preside over one of the most publicized trials in the nation. On July 15, Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause granted motions filed by Young Thug and co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick to recuse Glanville from the trial.
The motion to have Glanville removed from the trial came from Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel who spoke out on June 10 after an ex-parte meeting between the judge, prosecutor and a witness.
Steel was upset that the defense was not present as Glanville and the prosecution questioned witness Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland during a private meeting.
Glanville wanted to know how Steel found out about the meeting, but Steel refused to give up any information on his source. As a result, Glanville held Steel in contempt and ordered him to report to the notorious Fulton County Jail. Steel was sentenced to 20 days in jail, but never served any time after the Georgia Supreme Court reversed the decision.
In her ruling, Judge Krause wrote, “It is worth noting that this Court agrees generally with Judge Glanville’s assessment of the propriety of the ex parte meeting. While the meeting could have – and perhaps should have – taken place in open court, nothing about the fact of the meeting or the substance discussed was inherently improper.
However, in his order denying Defendant Kendrick’s motion and in the process of making his record on July 1, 2024, Judge Glanville added facts, provided context, questioned the veracity of allegations, and otherwise explained his decisions and actions and argued why those actions were proper. While it ‘may be appropriate for the judge to disclose information relevant to his potential recusal,’ such a ‘disclosure must be made in a way that is as objective, dispassionate, and non-argumentative as possible, so that the judge is not reasonably perceived as a hostile witness or advocate.’
“In presenting his record as to the recusal issues and in ruling on Kendrick’s motion, Judge Glanville. his Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied,8 but the ‘necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system’ weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case.”
A new judge will be appointed to the trial.
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