Judge Ural Glanville
Posted on 06/10/2024 4:27:45 PM PDT by CFW
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was in the courtroom when Brian Steel was taken into custody after he refused requests to answer how he heard about a “secret” meeting between prosecutors, the judge and a key witness in the YSL trial, Kenneth Copeland, on Monday morning.
Judge Ural Glanville gave Steel until 5 p.m. to disclose the source of information about the meeting, arguing that Steel wasn’t supposed to have any communication with a state witness sworn to testify.
Despite facing a contempt charge, Steel refused to reveal his source, citing client-attorney privilege.
Video showed Steel take off his jacket before he’s taken into custody.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsbtv.com ...
However, I do know that a judge shouldn't meet with a prosecutor and witness without the defense attorney present. And the judge found the attorney in contempt for refusing to tell how he found out about the secret meeting.
Here is how I read on Twitter that it went down:
"Rapper Young Thug's lawyer *arrested* after finding out about a secret meeting that the judge allegedly had with prosecutors and a star witness.
Fulton County is a mess.
Lawyer Brian Steel confronted Judge Ural Glanville about an alleged secret meeting.
When Steel demanded answers, the judge gaslit and asked Steel to explain how he found out about the meeting.
When Steel refused, the judge held him in contempt, had him escorted out of the courtroom, and taken into custody.
Steel: "If [the meeting is] true what this is is coercion, witness intimidation, ex parte communications that we have a constitutional right to be present for."
Glanville: "I still want to know, how did you come upon this information. Who told you?"
Steel: "What I wanna know is why wasn’t I there.""
Fulton County needs some serious cleansing.
An appeals court needs to step in, stop the trial, and hold a hearing on this issue, which lawyers call an allegation of ex parte communications. If the judge did what is alleged, a mistrial needs to be declared and the judge barred from having anything to do with the case.
“An appeals court needs to step in, stop the trial, and hold a hearing on this issue, which lawyers call an allegation of ex parte communications. If the judge did what is alleged, a mistrial needs to be declared and the judge barred from having anything to do with the case.”
For real! That’s one of the things judges are supposed to learn in day one of judge training. Actually, they should have learned it in law school during Criminal Procedure classes (or do law schools still have those?). You do NOT have private conversations with only one party’s attorney (and a witness — which makes it even worse). Both attorneys should be present. This is an egregious violation of the defendant’s rights.
I wonder if Fani Willis is bringing this case under RICO, thus making it more complicated and costly, in order to milk money from the tax-payers to fund her lifestyle. The defendant seems to be involved in just basic criminal rapper thug activity in Atlanta, which is pretty normal for the city.
I thought in general, ex parte communications were verboten.
YoungThug is Chinese?
“I thought in general, ex parte communications were verboten.”
That’s only in the raciss white patriarchal system.
“I thought in general, ex parte communications were verboten.”
There are; unless under extreme circumstances which I can’t see how would apply in this case for any reason. A judge meeting with a prosecutor and witness without defendant’s counsel being notified is unheard of as far as I know.
Judges and prosecutors often meet together to examine the proposed testimony by criminal informants, prior to revealing the informant to defense. In gang cases, revealing the informant is a sure way to get him killed.
“Judges and prosecutors often meet together to examine the proposed testimony by criminal informants, prior to revealing the informant to defense. In gang cases, revealing the informant is a sure way to get him killed.”
In those instances, the defense attorney is notified and allowed to file motions against an ex parte conference. If allowed by the judge, they then agree whether the testimony will be allowed in open court, a range of questions to be asked, and the amount of value that will be given to the informant testimony.
Judges do NOT just willy-nilly meet with a prosecutor and witness mid-trial without any notification to the defendant.
So apparently according to local news Steel will serve out a 20 day sentence for contempt over the next 10 weekends.
In my 31 years of experience I’ve found that Judges seldom do anything “just willy-nilly.” Nonetheless, I’ve participated in scores of cooperating witness examinations, ex parte, when judges needed to examine the CW, their record, and any agreements, promises, or grants of use or transactional immunity. The defense never knows or gets invited to those meetings, particularly in gang cases.
Every rapper’s case is a gang case.
NOT JUST FULTON COUNTY
GEORGIA IS A MESS
BREAKING!! The #FaniWillis #YSLTrial is off the rails! Judge jails #YoungThug lawyer for contempt .
Video is long, but worth watching. You can skip forward to 37:52 to get the first extensive commentary by Holloway and his guests.
BTW, Brian Steel is represented in this hearing by none other than Ashleigh Merchant, who is (as usual) most impressive.
Fulton Cty courts have had, maybe still to this day, very talented and hard working lawyers.
But the corruption, incompetence and backroom dirty dealing didn’t start with Willis
>BTW, Brian Steel is represented in this hearing by none other than Ashleigh Merchant, who is (as usual) most impressive.
She’s literally schooling the judge in law before his sentencing.
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