ATLANTA — On Tuesday, Georgia’s Supreme Court overturned a contempt ruling issued by a judge against the attorney for rapper Young Thug after he declined to disclose how he became aware of a meeting involving the judge, prosecutors, and a witness for the prosecution.

Defense lawyer Brian Steel is representing the rapper, who is facing multiple charges in Atlanta, including violations of Georgia’s anti-racketeering and gang statutes. In June, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville found Steel in contempt of court and sentenced him to serve ten weekends in jail. However, this punishment was stayed pending Steel’s appeal.

Steel contended that the information he received was protected by attorney-client privilege and maintained that he had not disrupted the court’s proceedings. He also argued that due process required Judge Glanville to recuse himself from the contempt case since Steel had leveled accusations of misconduct against the judge.

The Supreme Court justices sided with Steel regarding the necessity for Judge Glanville to step aside in handling the contempt situation. “Given that the court postponed penalties and was itself involved in the matter that led to the contempt charge, due process demanded the judge’s recusal from the contempt proceedings. Thus, we reverse the contempt ruling made by the trial court,” stated Presiding Justice Nels Peterson in a unanimous decision.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, garnered a Grammy award but was charged two years ago in a broad indictment alongside more than two dozen individuals accused of conspiring to breach Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. He faces numerous allegations related to gangs, drugs, and firearms and is currently on trial alongside five other co-defendants.

Jury selection in this highly publicized case commenced in January 2023 and spanned nearly 10 months. Opening arguments were presented in November, and since then, the prosecution has been actively working on its case, calling in numerous witnesses to testify.

In a courtroom session held on June 10, Steel informed Judge Glanville that he had found out about a meeting that took place in the judge’s chambers that same morning, subsequently moving for a mistrial. In his contempt ruling against Steel, Glanville expressed serious concern over how the information had been improperly disclosed to the defense attorney.

While the judge maintained that Steel had access to information he should not have, Steel asserted that no court order had classified that information as confidential.

In July, Judge Glanville was removed from this protracted case due to the aforementioned meeting with prosecutors and a state witness. Another judge supported motions from two defendants seeking Glanville’s recusal, noting that although she did not blame him for convening the meeting, “the necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system” necessitated that Judge Glanville be excused from the case.

Currently, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has taken charge of the ongoing proceedings, with expectations that the trial will extend into the upcoming year.