FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — With a pool of 600 potential jurors, legal teams began narrowing down who could sit on the final panel charged with deciding the fate of Atlanta rapper Young Thug.
The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, has been accused of being the ringleader of the Young Slime Life gang, which has a heavy presence in Georgia, according to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. He's now accused in RICO charges, shaping up to be a nationally recognized case that's roped in at least 13 other defendants.
The trial is expected to last anywhere between six to nine months with jury selection alone anticipated to make up five or six weeks. On Monday, potential jurors who didn't want to be part of that process got an opportunity to make their case.
“Juror No. 1 is going to have to come back and be further examined, thank you. Number two please," said judge Ural Glanville.
One after another, potential jurors in the Young Slime Life Rico trial explained their reasons for wanting to be dismissed from the jury. The trial involves Young Thug and other defendants who are all accused of allegedly committing violent crimes and using songs to brag about their actions.
“You indicated you have a hardship because you have childcare issues?” asked Judge Glanville to a potential juror.
Out of 200 potential jurors present Monday, 122 submitted hardship claims. An additional 400 jurors will have the opportunity to make their cases on Tuesday and Wednesday as to why they should be excluded. The judge is considering every aspect of why someone might not be a good juror.
“If you were selected for this trial, and it was to go on for six to nine months, would you be annoyed to the point where you could not be fair and impartial to both sides of this case?" the judge asked the crowd of jurors.
When all hardship claims have been considered both the prosecution and the attorneys of all defendants will begin to narrow the juror pool from 600 down to just 12 people using the 37-page questionnaires they filled out. Those questions range from "What’s your favorite recreational activity?" to "Could you be impartial to someone with a neck tattoo?"
Read more about Young Thug and the implications of the trial.