Before this week, it had been a relatively sleepy few months for the RICO trial of Young Thug and YSL. The Atlanta rapper has sat in a Fulton County jail since May 2022, alleged by the state of Georgia to be the ringleader of a criminal street gang. The case has dragged on since then — jury selection alone took 10 months.⁠ ⁠ Everything exploded on Monday when Brian Steel, Young Thug’s lead attorney, accused the judge of holding a secret meeting with the prosecution and a witness named Kenneth Copeland without notifying the defense — in almost all cases, Georgia law prohibits this kind of “ex parte” meetings from taking place.⁠ ⁠ It's all thrown rap’s biggest trial into disarray. Speaking to The FADER, Andrew Fleischman, a Georgia criminal defense attorney, breaks down the big questions.⁠ ⁠ Read the full explainer at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ 📸 Michael Tullberg/Getty Images⁠ ⁠ #YSLRico #YoungThug