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Young Thug’s trial continues to get even more bizarre. The judge who has been overseeing the case since it started has just been removed.
The New York Times is reporting that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause filed a written order on Monday, July 15 requesting that Judge Ural Glanville be removed from the case.
For the last 18 months, Glanville has supervised the very chaotic proceedings which have included some very intense witness questioning, an alleged attempt to hand Young Thug drugs in court, and a witness admitting he was high under oath. Things got even more interesting for all parties involved when Judge Ural hosted a private meeting on June 10 with both prosecutors from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and state witness Kenneth Copeland.
Under a legal lens, this session is deemed as an “ex parte” meeting which is Latin for “by or for one party”. In essence, the defendant’s legal representation was not involved in the discussion thus the move can be viewed as unfair or as that the magistrate is not impartial.
In her request for recusal Judge Rachel Krause made it clear that she doesn’t disapprove of his decision to hold the private assembly but understands how poorly this might be perceived by the public.
“This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, but the ‘necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system’ weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case,” Krause wrote.
In a statement to The Washington Post Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel (pictured above) said, “We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.”
It is unclear who will take over as the judge or when the trial will recommence. You can read the order to recuse Judge Glanville here.
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Photo: CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / Getty
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A white judge who boasted of pointing a loaded gun at a Black man in a New York courtroom has been removed from the bench.
According to reports, a judge in upstate New York who is white was removed from the bench by the state’s highest court after bragging about pointing a loaded gun at a Black man appearing in his courtroom. The state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct handed down the decision to remove Justice Robert J. Putorti on Thursday. He would be the 10th judge to be removed by the Court of Appeals in the last decade.
The incident, which took place in 2015, came a year after Putorti began serving as a judge in Whitehall, New York. According to the appellate court records, a man appeared before Putorti for a hearing over an unpaid fine. Putorti pointed the loaded firearm at the man, who was Black, as he approached the bench. The judge claimed that he drew the firearm after feeling that the litigant approached the bench too quickly. Putorti was known to keep a firearm (which he was licensed to carry) attached to the underside of the bench as he heard cases. He is also an owner of Bigboy’s, a gun and ammunition store in Whitehall.
Putorti would repeatedly tell the story of the incident to family and friends, exaggerating the build and demeanor of the Black litigant by referring to him as “agitated,” a “big Black man” who was “6 feet 9 inches tall” and “built like a football player,” and would say he “feared for his safety”. The man was actually 6 feet and weighed 165 pounds. “We have never had a situation other than this case, where a judge — with or without justification — pointed a gun at a litigant in a courthouse,” Robert H. Tembeckjian, administrator for the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct, in a statement issued after the decision.
Putorti would concede later that the assistant district attorney nor the police officer stationed within the courtroom would corroborate his account of the situation. The Commission on Judicial Conduct recommended that he be fired last year, but Putorti appealed. However, the appeals board found that Putorti “exploited a classic and common racist trope that Black men are inherently threatening or dangerous,” showing clear bias. They also noted a lack of remorse, as Putorti was participating in fundraising events for the Elks Lodge while on suspension for the incident.
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Enough is enough; even for public officials. A judge angrily dismissed a case after the witnesses were killed and the victim packed their bags.
As spotted on Raw Story an Alabama magistrate was clearly over it during a recent hearing regarding a robbery case from August 2019. According to WTVY Bobby Williams III of Mobile was accused of holding up another man at gunpoint and taking his smart phone against his will. But on Monday, March 6 the prosecutors on the case felt they could not move further given some very rare circumstances on available evidence. In this instance both witnesses to the alleged crime have been killed. Additionally, the victim has since moved to Colorado.
Upon hearing of these updates Mobile County Circuit Judge Ben Brooks was visibly upset calling the case “pathetic”. “You know what this reminds me of?” This reminds me of the Mafia in the 1930s,” he said. “Witnesses have disappeared in a robbery case.” Brooks went on to point to the larger issue at hand which is America’s crime problem. “This is the state we have come to. This court can’t solve the cultural problems we have,” he added. “But I can express my frustrations about it.”
The judge then addressed Mr. Williams and let him walk. “I don’t know what happened. You’re presumed innocent. But you’ve been given a big break here. I suggest you take advantage of it.” The defendant has a history of committing low level crimes in the area; most recently for marijuana possession.
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