R. Kelly Effort To Disqualify US Attorney's Office Dismissed As Judge Rules Bias Claims Fall Short Of Legal Standards

A federal judge has rejected R. Kelly's bid to remove the entire U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois from his post-conviction case, finding his claims lacked evidence and fell short of the high legal bar required.

U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold denied the motion in an order issued this week, calling the request both "extreme" and "drastic." She said Kelly's filing relied on speculation rather than proof.

Judge Rejects Bias Allegations

According to AllHipHop, Kelly's legal team, led by attorney Beau Brindley, had argued the office could not handle the proceedings fairly due to misconduct and internal conflicts. The filing pointed to one former prosecutor whom Kelly accused of improper behavior.

Pacold noted that the attorney in question is no longer employed by the office and that Kelly himself acknowledged the current prosecutor assigned to his case had not committed wrongdoing. "To warrant such an extraordinary intrusion into the affairs of a coequal branch as the disqualification of an entire USAO, a defendant must make an equally extraordinary showing," she wrote. "Kelly's motion does not meet that standard."

The judge stressed that disqualifying an entire U.S. Attorney's Office is almost unheard of and requires evidence of systemic issues, not isolated disputes.

Kelly Pursues New Trial

Brindley filed the motion in June, claiming the Chicago office could not be trusted to investigate itself. He asked that the Department of Justice in Washington or another district take over the case.

In 2022, Kelly was convicted on federal child pornography and obstruction charges. He is now at FCI Butner in North Carolina, serving a 30-year sentence that was affirmed by the Seventh Circuit two years later.

Now, the singer is pursuing a new trial. His lawyers argue constitutional violations and allege misconduct by federal officials, including accusations of stolen legal mail, coerced witness testimony, and even a plot to kill him.

The government has until October 16, 2025, to respond to his motion.