New judge sets ground rules for long-running gang and racketeering case against rapper Young Thug

The new judge presiding over the racketeering and gang prosecution of rapper Young Thug and several other defendants says she plans to move forward expeditiously with the trial, which has already dragged on for more than a year. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker made the remarks Friday. She received the case after the first judge overseeing it was removed. Two defendants had sought his recusal, citing a meeting the judge held with prosecutors and a state witness. A lawyer for Young Thug has said his client is innocent. Young Thug is a Grammy winner who was charged two years ago.