Order in the Court! New Young Thug, YSL judge establishes new rules for court

New judge in Young Thug trial lays down the law

Judge Paige Whitaker, the newly appointed judge in the Young Thug/YSL RICO trial, spoke to lawyers on Friday laying down the law for her Fulton County courtroom dealing with everything from start times to wardrobe.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. thiu - A new judge has been assigned to the massive Young Thug and YSL trial in Fulton County after the original judge was recused for an ex parte meeting, and the second judge recused herself. This new judge, however, is not messing around.

"I don't want to get into any substantive arguments today because we don't have the parties themselves here," she told attorneys.

Starting on time

The first thing Judge Whitaker did was make it clear that court would start promptly at 8:45 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. daily, though Fridays might be half days depending on the tasks at hand.

"I'm thinking 8:45 to 6 and when I say 8:45, I mean 8:45. I intend to take the bench at 8:45," Judge Whitaker said.

Judge Whitaker also said that she knew some defendants had several attorneys, but if one attorney was present, court would go forward.

"I don't want to be waiting around until 9:30," Judge Whitaker emphasized.

Next, she addressed concerns raised by individuals associated with the trial.

Food in the Courtroom

Judge Whitaker stated that everyone is welcome to have water or any drink they prefer, provided they aren't clumsy and avoid spilling it everywhere. However, food will no longer be allowed in the courtroom unless the court is working through lunch or dinner.

"No snacking during the trial. If we're working through lunch or it's late and it's dinner time, it will be okay for the attorneys or the defendants to have food, but not while someone is on the stand testifying. This isn't a movie theater. We’re not eating popcorn," she explained.

Defendants' Clothing

Judge Whitaker mentioned that deputies had informed her that the clothing situation had become excessive. Some defendants appeared to have wardrobes full of clothes, which was cumbersome for the deputies to manage.

"Let’s make sure it gets whittled down to a manageable amount. There are only five days in a week, so even if they had a different outfit each day, that would only be five outfits. We shouldn’t have 20 different outfits for anyone. Clear out the closet," she instructed.

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Use of AirPods

The judge also banned the use of AirPods in court, noting that they raised security concerns. Initially, someone suggested they were to prevent defendants from being bored.

"Well, we won’t be bored from here on out," she quipped. She added that if AirPods were needed for listening to interviews or other legitimate purposes, this should be done before court, and any scheduling issues should be communicated to her.

Courtroom Disruptions

Judge Whitaker asked the lawyers to conduct court in a manner that minimizes disruptions, though she didn't specify what those disruptions might be.

Witnesses and Evidence

Finally, Judge Whitaker instructed the prosecutors that attorneys must provide lists of witnesses and summaries of their testimony. All evidence, especially extensive items like audio or video recordings, must be reviewed and their admissibility determined before being presented in court. Any missing reports or discovery materials need to be listed and addressed promptly.

Additionally, given the number of witnesses that the state plans to call, Judge Whitaker made it clear that she expects the actual testimony of witnesses to move along quickly.

"I expect you to have your next witness ready to go. I don't want there to be a five-minute pause between one witness getting off the stand and the next witness getting on the stand," Judge Whitaker instructed.

Who is Judge Whitaker?

Judge Whitaker is a former Fulton County prosecutor, who also worked at the state Attorney General's Office. She has been a judge in Fulton County since 2017.

Judge Whitaker received her Bachelor of Arts from College of Charleston and her Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law.

Her professional experience and associations include Board of Governors for State Bar of Georgia, Georgia Womens' Policy Institute, Lawyers Club of Atlanta, past chair of the Fulton County Juvenile Court Citizens' Review Committee, ambassador for the Pink Ribbon Story Foundation, and sustainer for Junior League of Atlanta.

OTHER RECENT STORIES

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and his co-defendants were indicted in 2022.

Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), the trial got underway in November 2023.

At 18 months and counting, it is the longest trial in Georgia history. The trial has been plagued by various disruptions, including illnesses, the arrests of a juror and lawyer, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, and various other disruptions.

There are 5 others on trial with Williams. They are Marquavius Huey, Deamonte Kendrick (known as Yak Gotti), Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan and Shannon Stillwell.