The new judge presiding over the racketeering and gang prosecution of rapper Young Thug and several other defendants said Friday she plans to move forward expeditiously with the trial, which has already dragged on for more than a year.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker held a hearing with prosecutors and defense attorneys to understand any pending issues she needed to address and lay down some ground rules.
Whitaker received the case after the first judge overseeing it, Chief Judge Ural Glanville, was removed. Two defendants had sought his recusal, citing a meeting the judge held with prosecutors and a state witness.
Jury selection began in January 2023 and took nearly 10 months. Opening statements were in November, and the prosecution has been presenting its case since then, calling dozens of witnesses.
Whitaker said she was “parachuting in” and had not been following the case.
