There’s been a lot of digital ink spilled discussing how out of order Chief Judge Glanville’s decision to host a private meeting with Lil Woody and others without the plaintiff’s permission or presence was. Rightfully, Brian Steel made a pretty big deal of it — such a meeting steps on the plaintiff’s right to due process and makes it look like the judge is favoring the prosecution. When confronted with Brian Steel’s motion to recuse himself from the trial, Glanville responded thusly:
Judge Glanville states, in open court, that it is permissible for a judge to participate in the coercion of a prosecution witness and in shielding Brady material from disclosure to the defense, and that such conduct does not even appear to be improper. https://t.co/jKTCgVZruP
— Kathryn Tewson (@KathrynTewson) June 18, 2024
Glanville’s rationale isn’t just a readily apparent platter of stupid and wrong to legal minds — the average person looking in on this high-profile case would wonder what in the hell is going on:
Pride is the devil. Instead of admitting his mistake and doing the honorable thing, he is further making a mockery of his judgeship.
Let the appellate court decide is a such an incompetent way to make rulings.— Keyser Söze’s drunk uncle (@PfizerSoze1) June 18, 2024
Glanville can swear up and down that secret side conversations with witnesses promising to lie on the stand is no biggie, but Georgia’s Supreme Court isn’t likely to agree. They agreed with the decision to remove a judge from the bench earlier today for reasons that should hit really close to home for Glanville.
Many people would agree that the events in the YSL RICO case have “jeopardized the appearance of the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary” for a while now. If (and when) Glanville’s behavior makes it to Georgia’s Supreme Court, the decision to recuse himself from cases could be made for him. Permanently.
Earlier: Judge Glanville Channels His Inner Bartelby And Prefers Not To Honor Demand To Recuse
Atlanta Judge Removed From Office Following Arrest
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.