Young Thug court case

[ghostrunner]

Only posting this because the case got interesting yesterday. I hadn't been following it previously.

Summary of the case and the charges from Wikipedia:

On May 9, 2022, Thug was arrested in Atlanta on gang-related charges.[146] Thug and Gunna were among the 28 people associated with YSL who were charged in a 56-count Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act indictment filed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.[147] Following a search of his home, he was charged with seven additional felonies related to possession of illegal substances and illegal firearms.[148] He was held at the Fulton County Superior Court.[149] He was denied bond several times and has remained in the Cobb County Jail since his arrest.[150]

On November 27, 2023, his state RICO criminal trial officially began.[151][152] Five of his co-defendants will stand trial with him as well.[153] On December 12, 2023, it was agreed that the continuation of the trial would be delayed until January 2024 after his co-defendant Shannon Stillwell was stabbed multiple times during a fight that occurred in the Fulton County Jail.[154] The trial resumed on January 2, 2024.[155]

But this is the fun part. It's part of a longer thread:

Thug's lawyer, Brian Steel, somehow found out the judge, a witness and the DA all met yesterday morning and arranged a testimony deal without the defense's knowledge, and the judge threatened to hold Steel in contempt for not telling everyone how he found out. Later in the day, the judge held Steel in contempt and meanwhile a bunch of other lawyers had shown up in support. Including Ashleigh Merchant, who was one of the lawyers involved in exposing and trying to oust Fani Willis during her case against Trump. Merchant represented Steel in his contempt hearing and tried to get the judge to let the lawyers in and to get him to recuse himself saying he's now a witness in the contempt hearing. Lots more, but you can read the thread.

[GeddyWrox]

What a cluster fvck! That judge isn't going to relent, but I'd wager an appeal would stand a good chance of success.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

That judge is wrong on so many levels from my understanding.

It was improper to have an ex-parte meeting without the defense (any of them, I think there are 7 individual defendants) and with a sworn in witness.

The judge originally called it criminal contempt and would be enforced until Steel revealed who gave him the information from the improper ex-parte meeting. When Merchant, who is the president of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and they all help each other out ie how Merchant and another attorney were they in hours, represented Steel she correctly brought up that there's a max 20 day sentence for criminal contempt. Also let him know bond could be set and that Steel has rights similar to a defendant. The judge incorrectly said bond couldn't be set. Then corrected himself when informed by Merchant of the law.

The prosecutor had to ask the judge to let Steel back in the courtroom because like just about everyone else, they know you can't remove a defense attorney from a trial and proceed. That's a violation of the defendant's (Young Thug's in this case) basic constitutional right.

There's also the question of rather or not the judge gave an order to a defense attorney to break privilege.

And, there's also the biggest question of what happened in the ex-parte meeting. According to Steel, they learned the witness was going to plead the 5th and put him on the stand anyway which is why Steel (and every other defendant's attorney) originally called for a mistrial.

The judge has completely lost control of the courtroom it appears. This trial has been going on for what 8 months with no end in sight. He also ordered a show cause hearing with all those present in the ex-parte meeting to prove they're not the source.

Nuts. Almost as nuts as the MA v Karen Read trial where a State Trooper today will read the word c . u. . n t probably 100 times in court since that's what he texted his friends about Read, the defendant he was investigating. Also will be reading his texts about her balloon knot and god knows what else. And trying to explain how a mostly in tact tail light made it from his custody to the crime scene.