Brian Steel, Young Thug’s attorney, has filed a motion to remove Judge Ural Granville from presiding over the rapper’s continuing RICO case.
According to court documents, Steel also filed for a mistrial, claiming that it was motivated by suspected “improper conduct” on the part of the judge and prosecution.
The motion alleges that on June 10, the court and prosecutors held a “unlawful, improper ex parte meeting” with witness Kenneth Copeland, who was testifying after being given immunity by the prosecution.
Steel claims that he and Thug were not given notice of the meeting, which violated the rapper’s “constitutional and statutory rights, including the right to due process, a fair trial, a fair tribunal, ethical prosecutors, and the right to be present at every critical stage of the proceedings under the Georgia Constitution”.
Steel accuses Judge Granville of being “biased” toward the prosecution in her application to disqualify him from the trial.
It’s the latest twist in the long and contentious trial, which has previously seen Steel detained for contempt of court while still in the courtroom.
Steel began arguing with the judge after learning of the encounter with Copeland, and Glanville ordered the attorney to identify who informed him about it.
Steel refused to tell the judge who had informed him of the meeting and, in dramatic circumstances, had the lawyer detained — all of which was seen on a courtroom webcast.
“You may eliminate that scorn simply by revealing who told you that information. “That’s all I need to know,” Glanville told Steel, who declined to name identities due to a duty of confidentiality.
Steel also stated that he intended to spend his jail time with his client, Young Thug, to continue preparing their defense against the RICO allegations.
Steel later escaped prison time by being granted release pending an appeal of his contempt charge.
Steel’s attorney issued a statement celebrating the court success, stating, “We are thrilled that Brian will be home with his family for Father’s Day this weekend.” We appreciate how quickly and thoughtfully our appellate courts addressed this tragic circumstance.”
