Here’s What Happened on Day 1 of the Young Thug YSL Trial

Young Thug's long-awaited YSL RICO trial finally kicked off with opening statements this week.

On Monday (Nov. 27), the prosecution and defense addressed the jury with the facts from either side. The jury selection process was completed in mid-November after 10 months of deliberating. The jury now consists of 12 people. Seven Black women, two White women, two Black men, and one White man will decide Thug's fate. The trial is expected to last up to a year, so as things get underway, here are the biggest takeaways from the first day.

Young Thug's Charges Against Him in YSL RICO Trial

Thugger, born Jeffery Lamar Williams, is charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and gang laws, among other things. The YSL leader was indicted last year along with more than two dozen other people. Five of them are set to stand trial with him.

Thug and his five codefendants all face charges of conspiring to murder, armed robbery and participating in criminal street gang activity. Prosecutors in Fulton County, Ga. have accused YSL of being a front for a violent street gang that has allegedly had a devastating effect on Atlanta for over a decade. Thug is described as the leader of the YSL organization, which stands for Young Stoner Life.

YSL Judge Glanville Brings His Dog to Court

The first noteworthy instance occurred before opening statements, with Judge Glanville noting that the jury may be distracted by his dog moving around the courtroom.

"Here behind me is this ball that starts jingling," the judge said. "And if you hear a jingling sound like a bell, please don't think that I'm doing anything creepy up here, alright? I have a service dog behind me. His name is Jack. I think some of you may have seen him already. He lives the best life ever. He's pampered. He's a Labrador Retriever and he's about 2-and-a-half, 3 years old at this point in time."

"If you hear that bell, that's him moving around," he added. "He doesn't bark. He rarely gets interested in what's going on, so he might come up here and look, but that's about it. Don't bring him any food either, OK? He is spoiled rotten. Please don't try to throw him any food back here behind me or anything like that. He doesn't need anything else."

YSL Trial Juror Shows Up Late

One of the 12 jurors in the YSL trial showed up late to the first day of proceedings due to car trouble. The trial in turn was delayed by over an hour.

Judge Glanville Scolds Both Defense and Prosecution for Using PowerPoint Presentations

Glanville lost his temper early on during opening statements. He accused both the Defense and the State of not following his instructions in regards to the use of PowerPoint presentations.

"OK, here's what I'm gonna do," he said. "I'm excluding the PowerPoints. Y'all are just gonna have to make this thing up the whole way. You're gonna have to make an opening statement. No PowerPoints. Let's bring our jury in."

"No PowerPoints because you didn't do what I told you to do, and that was to exchange PowerPoints," he continued. "We have wasted almost two hours trying to get this stuff done. My orders to you are not aspirational. They're given for a reason, and when you don't follow them, then I have a way to remedy that."

Lil Wayne Mentioned During Opening Statements

During Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love's opening statement, she also mentioned Lil Wayne's tour bus shooting in 2015. The shooter in that incident was Peewee Roscoe, who did time for the crime. The YSL member shouted out the collective multiple times on social media before and after he was jailed for the shooting. Young Thug and Birdman were long rumored to have hired Peewee to shoot at Wayne's bus.

During her opening statement, Love alleged that members of Young Thug's YSL had shown up at Lil Wayne's show at the Compound in Atlanta "locked and loaded with guns" in 2015.

“Bullets for nothing but to show their dominance," Love said. "There will be no evidence that Lil Wayne threatened either of them that night.”

Defense Tries to Get YSL Trial Dismissed

The defense tried to get the YSL trial dismissed early on during the proceedings on Monday. Judge Glanville was furious that the prosecution didn't share all the slides they planned to say during their opening statements. The defense sought to have the trial thrown out. However, Judge Glanville didn't cave and said the trial would continue.

Prosecution Recites Young Thug Lyrics

After Judge Glanville declared on Nov. 9 that song lyrics could be used by the prosecution against Thugga, Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love made good on that promise on Monday. She pulled the lyrics up on the screen and told jurors that, "law enforcement didn't chase the lyrics to solve the murders. Law enforcement chased the murders and found the lyrics."

"Take this s**t to muthaf**kin' trial," "I rep my life for real" and "pay for that casket that's just if we wack ’em," were just a few of the lyrics read out by Love.

Young Thug's YSL trial will continue on Tuesday (Nov. 28) at 10 a.m. EST.