In a Georgia courtroom where the “Young Slime Life” gang trial is unfolding, a judge in Fulton County has issued a strong warning to attorneys from District Attorney Fani Willis’ office, cautioning them about potential contempt charges.
Amidst the ongoing legal battle, Judge Ural Glanville has summoned prosecutors to a contempt hearing to investigate the leak of information to defense counsel regarding a private meeting in which he was involved.
This development comes as reported by Newsweek.
The dispute originated from an exclusive discussion between the judge, prosecution attorneys, and a witness in the case, which did not include Brian Steel, the attorney representing rapper Young Thug.
Upon learning about this meeting, Steel raised concerns about its nature and expressed dissatisfaction that none of the attorneys representing any of the 28 co-defendants were informed about it by the judge.
Commenting on the situation, Steel said of the scenario he believes unfolded, “If that’s true what this is is coercion, witness intimidation, ex parte communications that we have a constitutional right to be present for.”
Following Glanville’s directive, Steel was compelled to reveal how he became aware of the ex parte meeting and its contents.
When the attorney refused to provide this information and stated his intention to pursue a mistrial, he was found in contempt and sentenced to 20 days in jail.
Since this incident unfolded, the legal community in and around Atlanta has rallied around Steel.
A substantial number of defense attorneys gathered at the courthouse on Monday to demonstrate their solidarity with their fellow lawyer.
Ashleigh Merchant, representing Georgia’s criminal defense attorney association, outlined her understanding of Glanville’s responsibilities regarding the meeting.
Merchant asserted that Glanville had a “duty” to inform defense counsel about the ex parte communications and criticized the fact that they had to learn about it from an external source.
Additionally, as noted by Newsweek, there are mounting calls for Glanville to recuse himself from the case, particularly from lawyers representing other defendants involved in the matter.
Pursuant to Glanville’s Tuesday order, Fulton County prosecutors, a witness known as “Lil Woody” and the defense attorney for “Lil Woody” must appear before the judge next week.
They will be asked to show cause as to why they “should not be held in contempt for disclosing information from the ex parte conversation to members of the Defense counsel.”
As per Glanville’s instructions, if the Fulton County prosecutors, the witness, or their attorney fail to provide a valid reason for their absence from the meeting, the sheriff’s office will be authorized to detain them.
During a contentious hearing on Wednesday, a different defense attorney in the case requested a trial postponement until Glanville’s recusal motion could be reviewed by another judge.
In response, Glanville made a statement that some observers perceived as a threat and refused to grant an immediate review certificate. This further escalated the apparent deadlock in this controversy leading up to Monday’s hearing.
ICYMI: Special Counsel Hur Drops Bombshell in Interview with Biden Ghostwriter
