Young Thug Trial: Judge Puts Proceedings On Hold As Recusal Motion Goes Under Review
Sophia Carter
Updated on March 04, 2026
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville has put the trial for Young Thug and YSL on hold after the defense filed a motion for him to recuse himself over a controversial ex-parte meeting with the prosecutors and star witness Kenneth Copeland. Glanville says the trial will not resume until a separate judge reviews the case and decides whether he should continue on the bench. Additionally, he'll be releasing a full transcript of the meeting with Copeland “so everyone will have a chance to look at it.”
The move came as a surprise to both sides of the case. When the prosecution asked how long this will take, Glanville replied: “I don’t know. I don’t have anything to do with that.” The criminal trial has already become the longest-running in Georgia history, going on 18 months with no end in sight.
Young Thug's Lawyer, Brian Steel, Arrives At Court
Brian Steel, attorney for rapper Young Thug, arrives at the Fulton County Courthouse on November 27, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Opening statements are set to begin in the case against 31 year old US rapper Young Thug and 28 others, who are facing a racketeering indictment accusing the defendants of a number of offenses that support an overarching conspiracy charge, including murder, assault, carjacking, drug dealing, and theft. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
As for the controversial ex-parte meeting that caused the latest stall, Thug's attorney, Brian Steel, became irate in court, earlier this month, after learning it took place. He accused the judge of working with the prosecution to allegedly coerce Copeland into testifying. In turn, Glanville placed him under arrest for contempt of court and took offense at the suggestion.
Judge Glanville Pauses The Trial
Check out Glanville's latest update on the ongoing trial above. Be on the lookout for further updates on Young Thug and the YSL trial on HotNewHipHop.
About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.