After a heated exchange in court on June 10, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, was thrown in jail by Judge Ural Glanville for contempt of court. After the news of his imprisonment reached the airwaves, an attorney for recording artist Kodak Black insisted that the act of the judge calls for a mistrial to be declared in the RICO trial of the Atlanta rapper.
In a social media posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Bradford Cohen, who represents Florida rapper Kodak Black, feels that the actions of Glanville should be grounds for an “instant mistrial.” His reasoning revolves around Glanville’s insistence on Steel revealing how he found out about a conversation that took place in the judge’s chambers involving Glanville, a sworn witness, and prosecutors earlier in the day.
This case and judge is off the reservation. This is an instant mistrial. I cannot believe the Judge thinks taking a defense atty into custody isn’t a mistrial. BRIAN STEELE is a real one. Defense lawyers across the country should be terrified by the lack of judicial knowledge https://t.co/qtVykTyNj4
— Bradford Cohen (@bradfordcohen) June 10, 2024
During the trial on June 10, Steel approached Glanville with the revelation that he was privy to a discussion that took place where a reluctant witness, Kenneth Copeland, was allegedly told if he did not cooperate with his testimony, he could be jailed for up to two years. Steel stated that he wasn’t told by the court of the conversation, especially since Copeland was thrown in jail on June 7 because he refused to testify against his YSL cohort, Young Thug.
“You’re not supposed to have communication with a witness who’s been sworn,” Steel told Glanville.
After accusing the court of coercion, witness intimidation, and ex parte communication, Steel still wouldn’t give Glanville the information of how he found out about the conversation. For refusing to do so, Glanville sentenced the attorney to 20 days in jail, and he is slated to spend the next 10 weekends at the Fulton County Jail.
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