Judge Paige Reese Whitaker Becomes Third Judge Assigned to Young Thug/YSL RICO Case

The YSL RICO trial involving rapper Young Thug has already been reassigned again, Georgia news outlets reported Wednesday afternoon. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has now been assigned to the case, marking her as the third judge to oversee this high-profile trial. Judge Whitaker, a former Fulton County prosecutor, also worked at the state Attorney General’s Office before becoming a judge in Fulton County in 2017.

This assignment follows the recusal of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram, who stepped down due to concerns over impartiality related to a former deputy’s romantic relationship with one of the co-defendants, Christian Eppinger. Judge Ingram feared this relationship could create an “appearance of impropriety” and undermine public confidence in the court’s impartiality, even though she didn’t believe it created any actual bias.

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has been assigned to handle the case. 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. @ajc #YSL #YoungThug https://t.co/wWLHsRw6n8

— Jozsef Papp (@JozsefPapp_) July 17, 2024

Judge Ingram had taken over the case after the recusal of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville. The trial, which began in November 2023, has been fraught with disruptions, including the longest jury selection process in history, illnesses, and the arrests of a juror and lawyer.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and his co-defendants were indicted in 2022. The trial has already set records as the longest in Georgia’s history, currently at 18 months and counting.