A.M. ATL: New judge, new territory for the YSL trial
Morning, y’all! The forecast should feel familiar: temperatures in the low 90s with afternoon thunderstorms.
News-wise, we’ve got the latest on Georgia football players’ poor driving choices, a budding housing voucher scandal and a festive Cirque du Soleil show bound for town.
- Also: Ticket presales for a freshly announced Katt Williams comedy show in Atlanta begin this morning, if that’s your scene.
Now. How about we take a look at where things stand in metro Atlanta’s most interminable trial?
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COURT CALAMITY
For 19 simultaneously tedious and tumultuous months, the gang case against Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his associates has played out in a Fulton County courtroom.
But Georgia’s longest-ever criminal trial may soon come to an end — not with a bang but with a recusal, a mistrial and a whimper.
Where we’re at: Defense attorneys’ requests to remove Chief Judge Ural Glanville from the case earned approval on Monday, a few weeks after he held a controversial private meeting with prosecutors and a witness.
- The case now rests with Judge Shukura Ingram, a former prosecutor with six years experience on the bench.
Which is great, but: It may ultimately be for naught. Defense attorneys already requested a mistrial, calling the case “irrevocably tainted.” Legal experts told the AJC such an action is likely.
Should the state decide to retry the case, it would likely have to start everything over — including jury selection, which took the better part of a year the first time around.
- “There’s no way they can just pick up where they left off,” one local trial attorney said.
How we got here: The AJC’s Bill Rankin writes that Glanville sealed his own fate (and possibly the case’s) when he defended his actions in open court, rather than immediately referring recusal requests to another judge.
What it means for you: There’s a lot to unfold yet. But a mistrial would mean countless wasted resources (i.e. time and taxpayer money) when the county is battling an overwhelming backlog of cases — and an aging jail overcrowded with other folks awaiting trial.
More AJC coverage:
- Two years and counting: A timeline of the YSL case
- How the YSL gang trial impacts Atlanta’s music scene
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
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BULLDOGS BEHIND THE WHEEL
On the same day Georgia football dismissed a player involved in a recent driving-related incident, head coach Kirby Smart defended attempts to educate his team about the dangers of recklessness on the road — but admitted the message hasn’t sunk in.
He also revealed that players involved in such incidents receive “substantial fines” from the group that distributes their name, image and likeness payments.
- Columnist Ken Sugiura says it’s not enough.
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MORE TOP STORIES
» Georgia’s Court of Appeals set a date of Dec. 5 for arguments in the effort to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from Fulton County’s case against Donald Trump. That, of course, is after the presidential election.
» New court filings contend that a coastal Georgia prosecutor with a history of hiding evidence made a secret deal with a witness in a death penalty case.
» Federal officials want the Fulton Housing Authority to let someone else handle Section 8 rent subsidies — and are likely to sanction the county agency for mishandling the program.
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RACING REPERCUSSIONS
Street racing. Intersection “takeovers.” You know ‘em, you hate ‘em. And a new law that went into effect this month hopes to shut ‘em down.
- How? By discouraging anyone from showing up. Folks who “knowingly” attend such events or even post about them on social media can now face misdemeanor charges.
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AJC AT THE RNC
Gov. Brian Kemp hasn’t had the best relationship with the Georgia GOP or former President Donald Trump. He extended an olive branch to both in a Wisconsin ballroom Tuesday.
“We’re a red state, and we’re going to be a red state in ‘24,” Kemp said.
» Related coverage: Ted Cruz mentions Laken Riley; Savannah Chrisley cries political prosecution
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ALL-STAR ACES
Braves pitchers Max Fried and Reynaldo López both logged scoreless appearances in last night’s MLB All-Star game (which the American League won, 5-3). Marcell Ozuna grounded out in his lone at-bat.
Atlanta resumes regular action on Friday, when the Cardinals come to town.
More sports highlights:
- Atlanta United hosts NYCFC tonight (7:30 p.m. on Apple TV). The team also released new info on next year’s loftier season ticket prices.
- The Atlanta Dream — losers of seven straight games — take on the Lynx in Minnesota today (1 p.m. on Peachtree TV).
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SAY IT AIN’T SO
Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks won’t reopen its flagship restaurant in downtown Atlanta, which originally closed after a pipe burst during last month’s catastrophic water main breaks.
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CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Here’s something fun: Cirque du Soleil plans to bring its first-ever Christmas show to Atlanta later this year — and it’s at the Fox Theatre, not that big tent in the Atlantic Station parking lot.
- Tickets for “‘Twas the Night Before” go on sale July 25. More details here.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» New details revealed about Microsoft’s $1.8B data center near Atlanta
» BET launches new Tyler Perry channels on Pluto, Roku
» Judge refuses to extend time frame for Georgia’s new Medicaid plan
» Gwinnett commissioners approve flat property tax rate
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ON THIS DATE
July 17, 1945
Army Capt. Bobbie Brown got word he would receive the Medal of Honor for a particularly audacious burst of battlefield bravado.
The “big, rugged Georgian” took out five German “pillboxes” (those fortified stone buildings you’ve seen in movies, with the tiny holes for soldiers to shoot through) in a single, relatively brief battle. Naturally, he undersold his actions.
“Hell’s bells, Crucifix Hill was only a 40-minute operation,” Brown told the Atlanta Journal. “I’ve been in worse shows than that.”
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer Jason Getz recently captured 3-year-old Harriet Girouard (right) and 5-year-old sister Mabry enjoying their ice cream outside the Frosty Caboose in Chamblee, which is celebrating 15 years in business.
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ONE MORE THING
This very large Milton mansion is also a ranch. With a vineyard. That’s up for auction. And one of the most viewed things on AJC.com. Enjoy the photos!
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
