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Georgia's Supreme Court Steps In Between Brian Steel's Jail Sentence

Another stain on Ural Glanville's legacy.

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Judge holding gavel in courtroom

(Image via Getty)

One of the most memorable gotcha moments of Georgia’s longest running trial was when Brian Steel (accurately) accused then presiding Judge Ural Glanville of having an ex-parte conversation with a witness and the prosecution in his chambers. After Steel refused to disclose the source of his information, Judge Glanville held him in contempt for refusing to snitch on his snitch and threatened Steel with jail time. Not missing a beat, Steel asked that he share a cell with his client so that he could continue with the representation. It was a badass response to Glanville’s attempt to coerce him, and it is aging better with time — Steel gets to keep all of his cool points and won’t have to go to jail! Atlanta News First has coverage:

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Georgia reversed Steel’s contempt order, agreeing with him that “the evidence did not support a contempt finding because he did not interfere with the court’s administration of justice, his information was protected by attorney-client privilege, and due process required the judge to recuse from the contempt proceeding.

“Because the court delayed punishment, the alleged disobedience was directed toward the court, and the court was involved in the controversy that formed the basis of the contempt, due process required the judge to recuse from the contempt proceeding,” Tuesday’s ruling said. “We therefore reverse the contempt imposed by the trial court.”

An “I told you so” is amazing, but a state Supreme Court saying it for you is just chef’s kiss. It is also for the best — imprisoning people is very expensive and if the audio of the prosecution playing “Slime Sh*t” is any indication, the government could use that money to afford some better speakers:

Georgia Supreme Court Reverses Contempt Order Of Young Thug Attorney Brian Steel [Atlanta News First]

Earlier: Judge Punishes Attorney For Knowing About Secret Ex Parte With Witness

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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 [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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