Chicago rapper Lil Durk, born Durk Derrick Banks, has suffered a major legal setback after a federal judge refused to dismiss his ongoing murder-for-hire case in Los Angeles, rejecting his legal team’s bid to shut down the prosecution over undisclosed death threats against court officials. According to legal reporter Meghann Cuniff and subsequent coverage by outlets including Legal Affairs & Trials and Music Times, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald denied the motion at a recent hearing, keeping the high-profile federal case on track for trial reportedly set for late April 2026.[4][1][2]
Defense attorneys for Lil Durk argued that federal prosecutors allegedly failed to promptly disclose a series of threatening voicemails directed at U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Yanniello, which they claimed could have impacted earlier bail proceedings.[1][3][4] According to Hot 97 and HotNewHipHop, the messages were reportedly left in February for Judge Donahue and in April for Yanniello, but Durk’s team did not learn of them until months later, after prosecutors decided to use the threats in court filings.[3][5] The defense contended this delay undermined Durk’s rights and sought dismissal of the indictment, removal of the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, and even recusal of Central District of California judges.[4][3]
Judge Fitzgerald flatly rejected those arguments, calling the motion baseless. As reported by Cuniff and cited by multiple outlets, he told the court, “There is just absolutely no basis for this motion. Just none. Absolutely none.”[4][1][3][5] He further stated that there was no indication the anonymous threats influenced any judge’s decisions, reportedly noting that such threats are an unfortunate but not uncommon reality in federal cases and that there was no suggestion Lil Durk had anything to do with the voicemails.[4] Prosecutors, for their part, argued that U.S. Marshals—not the U.S. Attorney’s Office—communicated with the judges about the threats and that the defense was notified in October, undermining claims of misconduct.[1][5]
The ruling means Lil Durk’s federal case, stemming from an alleged 2022 Los Angeles shooting targeting rapper Quando Rondo that left his cousin Lul Pab dead, will proceed toward pretrial and a potential jury trial, with the rapper reportedly facing the possibility of life in prison if convicted.[1][2] According to Music Times and Legal Affairs & Trials, Fitzgerald is also weighing other key issues, including a separate motion challenging whether certain predicate offenses qualify as “crimes of violence” under federal law and a request to impanel an anonymous jury.[1][4] For the hip-hop community, the decision solidifies that one of rap’s most closely watched legal battles will play out in open court, keeping Lil Durk’s future—and his status as one of Chicago drill’s most prominent figures—under intense legal and public scrutiny.
