Paige Reese Whitaker, a Fulton County Superior Court judge known for her efficiency, has now inherited the longest trial in Georgia’s history as she takes the helm of the chaotic Young Slime Life case.
Whitaker was assigned to oversee the racketeering and gang case against rapper Young Thug and his alleged associates on Wednesday, hours after fellow Fulton Judge Shukura Ingram recused herself, citing her former courthouse deputy’s romantic relationship with a YSL co-defendant.
Whitaker, who has served since 2017, is a former Fulton County prosecutor who also worked at the state Attorney General’s Office. She attended the College of Charleston and Duke University Law School.
While on the bench, she has been involved in a number of politically-charged cases.
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In September, Whitaker allowed the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission to begin accepting complaints that could lead to sanctions against local prosecutors accused of misconduct.
The commission has garnered attention for its role in Republican-led efforts to discredit Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her investigation into election interference by former president Donald Trump and his allies.
File Photo
File Photo
Whitaker was also connected to a 2020 criminal investigation into her former boss, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. Howard had come under fire after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV reported that he was using his nonprofit organization as a conduit to funnel $195,000 of city of Atlanta funds into his pocket.
When defending the arrangement, Howard cited a 2014 memo that Whitaker, then a top appellate lawyer in the DA’s office, had prepared after he asked her if he could supplement his pay with city funds. Whitaker’s memo said her research showed he could do so.
But six years later, Whitaker, now a Superior Court judge, said she had no idea Howard was using his nonprofit as a way to funnel city funds his way. “Had I been asked whether he could do what he apparently did, I would have said no,” Whitaker said in a statement given to the AJC. She subsequently recused herself from all criminal cases brought by Howard until he left office.
Whitaker has honed a reputation for quickly churning through cases. She ended June with 109 pending criminal cases, according to court statistics, the fewest of her colleagues outside of Chief Judge Ural Glanville, whom she is replacing on the YSL trial.
The 19-month-long YSL trial has been plagued with delays and infighting. But in her first appearance in the case at a status hearing Friday, Whitaker seemed intent on setting a more efficient pace.
She addressed scheduling for future proceedings with prosecutors and defense attorneys, saying court would begin promptly at 8:45 a.m. and warning against defendants’ eating and listening to headphones during testimony.
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