Young Thug Trial Judge Calls Out Prosecutor For Inadequate Job In Court

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has only presided over the lengthy Young Thug RICO trial for two months, and she has already seen enough. She lambasted Fulton County’s lead prosecutor for doing an inadequate job in court, specifically in handling the evidence.

“I truly am struggling with whether all of this is purposeful or this is just really poor lawyering on the part of members of the state’s team,” she said to Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love in court on Monday (Sept. 30). “Either way, it’s really unfortunate. If it’s something other than poor lawyering, then it is more than unfortunate.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Whitaker was visibly frustrated while making these statements due to Love introducing hearsay evidence while questioning a witness. The jury had been excused from the courtroom because Thug’s attorney Keith Adams attempted to motion for a mistrial. “It is baffling to me that somebody with the number of years of experience that you have, time after time after time, continues to seemingly and purposefully hide the ball to the extent you possibly can, for as long as you possibly can,” Whitaker added.

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker wasn’t done reprimanding Chief Deputy District Attorney. “I really don’t want to believe that it is purposeful but honestly, after a certain number of times, you start to wonder how can it be anything but that, unless it is just that you are so unorganized that you are throwing this case together as you try it,” she said. “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.”

Whitaker would later deny the motion for a mistrial, despite the fact Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel stated that the prosecution’s mishandling of evidence was a consistent issue over the 22 months of this trial. Earlier in the day, she requested that Love be forthcoming with information that the court and defense should know instead of needing to be asked, to which Love replied, “Your honor, the court does not have to beg me for anything.”

Whitaker had expressed frustrations with the state and prosecution before Monday, understandably so. Young Thug’s 22-month trial marks the longest in Georgia’s history and has been highlighted by multiple delays. The end isn’t anywhere in sight either, as there are reportedly about 100 witnesses left to be called to the stand. At one point, Whitaker mandated that Love and other prosecutors undergo training to reiterate the importance of sharing evidence with defense attorneys, in addition to “other professional obligations.”

Young Thug has been in jail since May 2022 after being accused of founding and leading Young Slime Life, an alleged gang that participated in illicit behavior in Atlanta. Gunna and 26 other members of YSL were also arrested, though the former later took an Alford plea in December 2022 and has been free since. The entire collective faced RICO charges, among others.

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