In the turbulent YSL RICO trial, Young Thug‘s attorney, Brian Steel, has faced numerous challenges, including contempt charges and repeated calls for a mistrial.
Steel’s latest legal maneuver involves a motion to disqualify Judge Ural Glanville, accusing the judge of misconduct. The motion followed an alleged private meeting between Glanville, prosecutors and key witness Kenneth Copeland.
The motion asserts that the court is “so biased against undersigned counsel and/or Mr. Williams, the court ignored all laws and pursued contempt penalties to attempt to intimidate undersigned counsel to violate the law and ethics in order to continue to help the prosecution convict Mr. Williams and others.”
The controversy began when Copeland was arrested on June 7 for refusing to testify despite being granted immunity. Glanville held Copeland in contempt until June 10. When Copeland returned to the stand, Steel challenged Glanville about a rumored private meeting aimed at persuading Copeland to testify. Glanville, in turn, threatened Steel with contempt multiple times as Steel refused to disclose his source for the information. Subsequently, Glanville sentenced Steel to 10 weekends in jail.
However, two days later, the Georgia Supreme Court granted Steel an emergency motion to address the appeal of the contempt order, allowing him to remain free pending the appeal.
The motion further details instances where Glanville allegedly exhibited bias against Young Thug and Steel. If Judge Glanville is recused, it could add another layer of complexity to a trial that began in November 2023 and shows no sign of concluding soon.
