Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville made the surprise announcement as attorneys gathered for what was originally scheduled to be a closed hearing to review the transcript of a June 10 meeting between the judge, prosecutors and Kenneth Copeland, an accomplice of Young Thug and a key witness in the gang conspiracy case.

Several defense attorneys have sought to remove Glanville from overseeing the case, calling his meeting with a sworn witness “inadmissible” and accusing the judge and prosecutors of pressuring a key witness to testify – requests Glanville has rejected.

Last month, Young Thug's lead attorney, Brian Steel, was sentenced to 20 days in jail over the weekend for criminal contempt of court after questioning Glanville about the meeting and refusing to reveal who told him about it. The sentence was later stayed by the Georgia Supreme Court while Steel appealed.

On Monday, Glanville suddenly made the hearing public, announcing from the bench that he wanted to release the full transcript of the meeting with Copeland “so that everyone has an opportunity to see it.” He then reversed his decision and announced that he would submit motions to dismiss to another judge who would decide whether to pursue the case.

“We have a break until then,” Glanville explained.

The announcement seemed to surprise many, including prosecutors, who immediately raised concerns about the impact on the jury in what has been the longest criminal trial in Georgia history for 18 months. Jurors have not heard testimony in the case since June 17 because of disagreements over Copeland's testimony and evidentiary issues.

“Is there a timeline for when the motion for recusal might be heard?” asked Simone Hylton, Fulton County Assistant District Attorney and lead prosecutor in the case.

“I don't know,” Glanville replied. “I have nothing to do with it.”

The dramatic developments came as the trial of Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, dragged on at a snail's pace, overshadowed by jury and witness problems and other day-to-day turmoil that rocked the high-profile prosecution led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D).

The indictment against Young Thug is one of two high-profile organized crime cases being handled by Willis' office. Last summer, the veteran prosecutor brought charges against former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen of his associates, alleging they criminally conspired to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss in Georgia.

The case has now stalled as Trump and others have appealed a judge's decision to allow Willis to proceed with the prosecution despite complaints that she had an inappropriate romantic relationship with the former lead prosecutor in the case.

Young Thug and 27 other accomplices were charged in May 2022 as part of a sweeping grand jury indictment alleging that the rapper and his accomplices were members of a violent criminal street gang in Atlanta.

Prosecutors allege Young Thug was the head of the gang known as YSL, or Young Slime Life, and charged him with organized crime and gang violence. The others were accused of other violent crimes, including murder and attempted armed robbery.

Young Thug's lawyers countered that YSL was merely a record label and attacked prosecutors for introducing Young Thug's song lyrics as evidence at trial, arguing that his rhymes were merely artistic expression and not a literal retelling of criminal acts.

Jury selection in the case began in January 2023 and lasted 10 months. Opening arguments were held in late November – but the trial was halted almost immediately after one of Young Thug's co-defendants was stabbed in jail and hospitalized. The trial resumed in January but was marked by constant delays, including frequent bickering between the lawyers and the judge.

Monday marked the 100th day of the trial since opening arguments, although the jury has only heard testimony on about half of those days. The prosecution has not even gone through half of its planned witness list of more than 200 people.

Lawyers working on the case have suggested the trial could last into 2025 or beyond – but that was before recent turmoil that has raised questions about how the case will proceed and whether Glanville will retain control of the case.

Defense attorneys have repeatedly accused Glanville of bias, and those allegations have only intensified in recent weeks. In a June 17 motion, Steel accused Glanville of being an unofficial member of the prosecution team working to convict his client.

At the same time, the attorney for another co-defendant filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court of Georgia, asking that the case be stayed and whether Glanville should recuse himself from the appeal. The Court denied the motion on procedural grounds, as it had not been previously heard by a lower court.

“Glanville's actions violate the public trust in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” Doug Weinstein, a lawyer for rapper Yak Gotti, whose real name is Deamonte Kendrick, wrote in the motion. “The appearance of impropriety and bias hangs over the current proceedings because Glanville failed to follow the law.”

While the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear the motion, its ruling explicitly stated that if Weinstein filed his motion in Fulton County Superior Court, Glanville would be “barred from presiding over the proceedings” and that “a different judge would decide it.”

Weinstein refiled his petition in Fulton County late Friday, and the matter was assigned to a different judge.

It is unclear whether this was the catalyst for Monday's events. Glanville read from what he said was a written order, describing a chronology of events leading up to the private meeting with Copeland, and cited numerous case law texts to argue that he had done nothing wrong.

“In this particular case, the court is of the view, based on case law, that this was a proper ex parte meeting,” Glanville said.