Young Thug trial: Defense attorney arrest, explained
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Judge Ural Glanville during the YSL trial at Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta in January. Photo: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Georgia's "Young Slime Life" criminal racketeering case is filled with surprises. And the latest twist is the judge's efforts to jail Atlanta rapper Young Thug's defense attorney, Brian Steel.
Why it matters: Steel is the second defense attorney to be arrested while working on the RICO case that has spawned Georgia's longest-ever trial. A third was arrested on unrelated charges.
Catch up quick: Steel on Monday accused Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville and prosecutors of holding an improper 'ex parte' meeting with a key witness, Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland, without the defense's knowledge.
- Glanville asked Steel in court to reveal how he learned about it. Steel declined.
- Glanville then found Steel in criminal contempt, sentencing him to 10 weekends in jail.
- Lead Prosecutor Adriane Love said the meeting was not improper, and it did not require the defense's presence.
The latest: The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday OK'd Steel's emergency motion for bond, so he won't report to jail Friday night, the AJC reports.
- The higher court's order suspended Steel's jail sentence until the courts resolve Steel's appeal of Glanville's contempt ruling.
- Meanwhile, another YSL defense attorney asked Glanville to recuse himself from the case. Glanville denied the request.
Between the lines: Axios spoke with defense attorney S. Lester Tate III of Akin & Tate, who is not involved in the YSL trial, to better understand the legal issues at play.
On the state of this trial: "This trial has been part circus, part law school exam, I think, in a lot of ways," Tate says. "I certainly think there are a lot of issues that are tough for a lawyer or a judge to be involved with."
On the issue of contempt: "This latest contempt issue is really troubling because what you have is a lawyer that's really just doing his job. If the judge met with the other side, the lawyer is entitled to call that out in open court."
On 'ex parte' meetings: "For the judge to be the neutral arbiter, the judge is not allowed to meet and hear arguments or consider matters with one side present where the other side is not available to [respond]."
- "[But] there are things from time to time that require communication with just one of the parties. A lot of times that's scheduling type things … and then there could be emergencies that come up."
- "Maybe the judge didn't have a chance to tell [Steel] about it, but he certainly didn't seem interested in telling [Steel] about it, and that would have been his duty."
On the impact of a lawyer working while jailed: "It would certainly be on a claim on any type of post-conviction relief if the defendant were convicted."
- "I expect that Judge Glanville is probably going to get complaints from Brian Steel or from other lawyers that become involved in this case."
On other legal issues at play: "There are evidentiary issues in this case. I believe that [prosecutors] have used rap lyrics and songs, they have used some but not allowed the defense to put in other [songs.]"
On what could happen next: "Even if the trial were over tomorrow, I would expect a lengthy and vigorous appeal if they actually win convictions."
On what we should consider: "I've been fairly critical of Judge Glanville's contempt ruling," Tate says. "Once you say 'I'm gonna fix this problem,' you have a desired outcome in mind, and as a judge, you're not really supposed to have a desired outcome …That puts yourself in jeopardy."
- "I can understand the desire to protect witnesses," Tate says. "I don't even know if this [ex parte meeting] took place, much less what the purpose of it was if it in fact took place, but it seems to me that in this case, I can understand Glanville being frustrated."
What's next: A Fulton County superior court spokesperson declined to comment when Axios reached out, citing Rule 3.6 of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct, which limits judges from commenting on pending proceedings.