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Young Thug, Gunna and their YSL associates are set to face trial in a couple of months. Now that a date has been scheduled, more information about the trial is coming to light.
On Thursday, November 17, the Grammy nominated artists appeared at a hearing ahead of their trial at the top of next year. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the date is scheduled for January 9, 2023 after Judge Ural Glanville previously denied District Attorney Fani Willis' request to push the trial to March. During the hearing, the State told the judge that they plan on calling at least 300 witnesses to the stand during the trial.
“Most of these people have no bonds, that is something that weighs heavily on the court in terms of a start date for this trial,” Glanville said during the hearing. “They deserve to have a right to go to trial.”
Young Thug, Gunna and 26 other YSL members have been sitting in jail since they were taken into custody following a 56-count indictment that accused YSL of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act along with other charges. Lawyers for Thugger and the "Pushing P" rapper have filed motions for bond but have been denied each time.
Since they were first arrested, members of the music industry in general have been advocating for both artists' release for months. Due to the DA's office's use of their past lyrics as evidence, 300's Kevin Liles and Atlantic Record's Julie Greenwald have led the mission to keep lyrics out of their upcoming trial by encouraging lawmakers to ban prosecutors from using artists' own music against them. While efforts failed in New York, California recently passed a law that prevents lyrics from being used in court. A federal effort is currently being made in Congress.
Jury selection for Young Thug and Gunna's upcoming trial is set for January 5.