ATLANTA — When Judge Paige Whitaker took over the YSL RICO case, she set new rules for trial.
One of them restricted the wardrobe available for defendants — including Jeffery Williams, better known as the rapper Young Thug.
"One of the first things I don't know how many deputies told me was the clothing for the clients has gotten a little out of hand in terms of how much they all have now," she told attorneys. "Let's make sure that gets whittled down to a manageable amount of clothing."
She suggested five outfits per defendant — enough for every day of the week.
"We shouldn't have 20 outfits for anybody," she said. "Y'all need to clear out the closet."
Here is what Young Thug has worn to court every day since that initial hearing.
Tuesday, July 30
Outfit description: Textured suit jacket and green tie; brand unknown
Wednesday, July 31
Outfit description: Gray Comme Des Garçons Play twin-heart jumper with white button-up underneath
Friday, August 2
Outfit description: White button up shirt with black tie; brand unknown
Monday, August 5
Outfit description: Custom black and yellow 'Jeffery' Spider hoodie
Tuesday, August 6
Outfit description: Custom black suit jacket with 'Truly Humbled Under God' embroidered into it with a white dress button-up shirt and black tie; brand unknown
Wednesday, August 7
Outfit description: Pale yellow Marc Jacobs ribbed turtleneck jumper
More on recent case developments
The case's initial judge, Ural Glanville, was removed after attorneys for Young Thug had argued that he should no longer oversee the case because of a June 10 proceeding known as an ex parte meeting that became the subject of deep contention in the trial.
In her order, Judge Rachel Krause -- who was assigned the recusal matter -- stated, "This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, 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."
The controversial private meeting led to Young Thug's attorney, Brian Steel, being held in contempt and sentenced to 20 days in jail, which was reversed after the state Supreme Court granted him bond.
Steel had been held in contempt for refusing to reveal his source for how he heard about the ex parte meeting.
Judge Glanville later released the transcript of the meeting with the witness, Kenneth Copeland, a.k.a. "Lil Woody."
Copeland was arrested on June 7 and held in contempt after refusing to testify on the stand as part of an immunity agreement. A few days later, in the judge's chambers, prosecutors shared an email sent to them by Copeland's attorney accusing them of making him a target by forcing him to testify. They also said his attorney was threatening to pull out of the case.
Prosecutors later told Copeland that if he still refused to take the stand, he could be jailed until every defendant's case was decided. He eventually testified.
Copeland had an attorney present for the meeting, but she was a stand-in for his usual lawyer, who was out of town. Steel insinuated that the court was committing "coercion" as no representation for his client was invited to the meeting.
The extraordinary turn in the case captivated legal observers.
