Lil Durk secured a major legal victory on Tuesday after a federal judge ruled that newly added racketeering charges will be separated from his upcoming murder trial. The decision means prosecutors will not be allowed to introduce allegations tied to a January 2022 killing in Chicago or a February 2019 attempted murder in Atlanta during the rapper's Aug. 20 trial in Los Angeles. Instead, those charges will be addressed in a separate trial at a later date.

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald said prosecutors introduced the new allegations only last month through a third superseding indictment, leaving the defense little time to prepare. In his ruling, the judge noted that prosecutors had previously chosen to withdraw evidence related to the Chicago incident from the Los Angeles case and could not reverse course after the defense had spent months preparing its strategy. The new counts include allegations of violent crimes in aid of racketeering and firearms possession in furtherance of murder in aid of racketeering.

The Grammy-winning rapper, born Durk Banks, has been held without bail since his 2024 arrest and has maintained his innocence. His attorneys argued that the late-filed charges violated his right to a speedy trial and unfairly complicated the case. "We are very happy with the court's order," defense attorney Drew Findling told Rolling Stone. "For 21 months, we have been unwavering in our commitment to Mr. Banks and his innocence, and we look forward to an Aug. 20, 2026, trial." During Tuesday's hearing, Judge Fitzgerald also questioned prosecutors about why they waited so long to bring allegations related to the 2022 Chicago killing, in which Banks has not been charged.