ATLANTA — The saga continues in the YSL RICO trial that has been ongoing against rapper Young Thug and his co-defendants since last year.
Some of the defendants are seeking to have Chief Judge Ural Glanville recused from the case which has set the trial -- as of Monday -- at a standstill.
And now, a Fulton County Superior Court judge is ordering the state to file a written response by Monday regarding the motions filed in the case pushing for Glanville to be recused.
Judge Rachel Krause signed the order Tuesday, giving the state until July 8 to respond.
"Time is of the essence given that a jury trial is currently paused pending resolution of these recusal motions," the order from Krause said.
But right before Krause issued her order, attorneys for Deamonte Kendrick filed a motion Tuesday pushing to disqualify any Fulton County superior judges from ruling on the motions for recusal.
"Wherefore, Mr. Kendrick respectfully requests that Judge Krause, and any other Judge within Fulton County, recuse themselves from hearing Kendrick’s Motion on Recusal and facilitate such actions as necessary to have the Motion heard by a Judge outside of Fulton County Superior Court," the motion from Kendrick's attorney reads.
Some of the recent contention stems from a June 10 meeting that Young Thug's lawyers called "unlawful" between the court and prosecutors, including Kenneth Copeland, a sworn witness who was given immunity on June 7.
Attorneys for Kendrick previously stated they were not provided notice of the meeting and added that they were "in the dark." Multiple attorneys for the defense called Glanville biased and want another judge assigned to the case and for any further meetings, and transcripts from those meetings, to be disclosed.
More on the Young Thug, YSL trial
On May 9, 2022, the hip-hop world was jolted with the news that rapper Young Thug—a Grammy winner, trendsetter and Atlanta icon—had been arrested.
It's been over two years now that the artist, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, has remained behind bars. The central charge against him is that three letters with which his name has become synonymous because of his artistic success in launching the "Young Stoner Life" label, YSL, actually signalize a violent gang: Young Slime Life.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis named Williams, among other metro Atlanta rappers and those with ties to the alleged gang, to bring charges against a total of 28 people in a sweeping 88-page indictment. The case alleges that not only is Young Thug among the gang's members, but he is also its kingpin.
"He is the one they're all afraid of," a prosecutor said at a June 2022 hearing. "He's the one that's King Slime."
A long pretrial process passed to an even longer jury selection process, and across this time, the co-defendant list dwindled with plea deals and other circumstances, keeping some of the individuals charged from remaining on the case.
The trial finally began in earnest in November 2023, already considered the longest in Georgia's history.
11Alive has tracked key developments in the case and highlighted moments in the courtroom. Follow along in the timeline below.