The ongoing RICO trial involving rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and the alleged YSL street gang, proceeded on Wednesday with Judge Paige Reese Whitaker at the helm after the recusal of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, as per FOX5 Atlanta. Whitaker, who replaced Glanville due to a contentious ex parte meeting held on June 10, has been pushing for a more expedited process in what has become Georgia's longest trial, expressing that "this trial should not take the next seven months," He said, "I'm not saying it won't, but it shouldn't."

During Tuesday's proceedings, a plethora of motions were reviewed; Judge Whitaker denied prosecutors' request for a gag order against the defense's right to discuss the case, and she also declined the motion for bond for Williams, despite his attorney Brian Steel arguing for his client's stable support system and willingness to submit to house arrest and around-the-clock monitoring; however defense upset about possible additional ex parte meeting could poses a challenge, the RICO trial involving rapper Young Thug and the alleged YSL street gang continues on, after a series of disruptions, including the arrests of a juror and a lawyer, illnesses, and even the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, each playing their own part in prolonging the proceedings, as detailed by FOX5 Atlanta.

Central to the trial's controversy was the secret ex parte meeting, which led to the recusal of Judge Glanville while raising concerns about the fairness of the proceedings, as reported by 11Alive. In the wake of the secret meeting, Steel was sentenced to a 20-day jail term for refusing to disclose his source regarding the ex parte meeting, a decision that was subsequently reversed after the state Supreme Court granted him bond.

While the case's complexity unfolds, one of the witnesses, Kenneth Copeland, known as "Lil Woody," who initially refused to testify, was compelled to do so after being threatened with jail time until all defendants' cases were resolved – this change of stance adding another layer of intrigue to a trial already marked by its extraordinary length and a number of legal curveballs that have captured the attention of legal observers, as further detailed by 11Alive. With Judge Whitaker now presiding, a renewed focus has been placed on streamlining the trial's progress, mitigating further delays, and ensuring a process that remains within the bounds of legal propriety.