Georgia’s Supreme Court has reversed the criminal contempt of court ruling against Brian Steel, Young Thug’s defense attorney. According to Billboard, after reviewing the June ruling by Judge Ural Glanville, the Supreme Court ruled that Glanville should have recused himself and let another judge determine whether Steel was actually in contempt.
Glanville ordered Steel to 20 days in jail after the attorney refused to disclose how he found out about a secret meeting between the judge and prosecutors. The move sparked an immediate appeal and an outcry from lawyers across the internet once the news broke. Widespread calls for Glanville’s removal from the case were eventually granted, and the case has since proceeded with a new judge, who was none too impressed with the state’s handling of evidence and testimony.
Steel had protested Glanville’s “ex parte” meeting with prosecutors and witness Kenneth Copeland, asking for transcripts of the meeting during the June session. The judge instead demanded to know how Steel came by the information, and after Steel refused, Glanville sentenced him to 20 days in jail to be served on 10 consecutive weekends. Steel accepted the terms asking to be held with his client Thug so they could work on the case. Steele’s appeal put a stay on the sentence, and now that the Supreme Court has reversed Glanville’s ruling, he’s officially off the hook.
The trial has become the longest in Georgia state history. Young Thug is charged with racketeering, with prosecutors accusing him of being the head of a criminal organization disguised as a record label.