The latest judge overseeing the Young Thug RICO case has already had it with the state prosecutors as the trial is in its 22nd month.
Judge Paige Reese Whitaker called out the lead prosecutor for her alleged incompetence thus far. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Whitaker deemed it “poor lawyering” from the state’s team.
“I truly am struggling with whether all of this is purposeful or just really poor lawyering on the part of members of the state’s team,” Whitaker said. “Either way, it’s really unfortunate. If it’s something other than poor lawyering, then it is more than unfortunate.”
Whitaker proceeded to bash Fulton County’s lead prosecutor after the defense called for a mistrial. ThuggerDaily, a social media page dedicated to the detained rapper shared footage of the ordeal.
“I mean, I can’t figure out what it is. If it’s disingenuous. I don’t want to malign the prosecutor standing in front of me right now, so I’m not going to say the possible things it could be,” continued Whitaker. “But it is
baffling to me that somebody with the number of years of experience that you have, time after time, continues to seemingly, purposefully hide the ball to the extent you possibly can, for as long as you possibly can.”Since all of its delays and controversies, the case has emerged as the longest trial in Georgia history. After the initial judge, Ural Glanville, was removed, Whitaker tried to reign in the trial’s hecticness.
She added, “And I really don’t want to believe that it is purposeful. But
honestly, after a certain number of time, you start to wonder how it could be anything but that. Unless it is just that you are so unorganized that you are throwing this case together as you try it. I’m sorry to say that, but this case is being made much more difficult for everybody because of the haphazard way it is being presented.”After taking a recess, Whittaker denied the motion for a mistrial. However, she remains frustrated over the ongoing issue of the prosecutors not sharing evidence with the defense. Before this recent blowout, she required the attorneys to undergo training to know the proper procedures.
The trial is expected to continue into 2025, with approximately 100 witnesses left to take the stand. Young Thug remains in custody.