Meek Mill Conviction on Gun and Drug Charges Overturned
The Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled on Wednesday that Meek Mill's controversial conviction on gun and drug charges should be vacated.
If the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office decides to pursue the charges again, Meek will get a new trial.
As part of the decision, the Pennsylvania Superior Court said, "We agree a new trial judge should be appointed upon remand. Williams’ right to be tried before an impartial judge is necessary in this case because the trial judge heard highly prejudicial testimony at the first trial, which was a bench trial, and made credibility determinations in favor of a now discredited witness and against Williams. Our decision today is consistent with prior rulings of this Court where a trial judge should be reassigned based on hearing highly prejudicial information in an earlier proceeding."
Meek Mill released a statement after the announcement, saying, "I’d like to thank the Pennsylvania Superior Court judges for their wisdom and transparency in reviewing my case, unanimously overturning my conviction and granting me a new trial. The past 11 years have been mentally and emotionally challenging, but I’m ecstatic that justice prevailed. This positive outcome wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my family, my attorneys, JAY-Z, Desiree Perez, Michael Rubin, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office and my supporters who have stood with me through the ups and downs. Unfortunately, millions of people are dealing with similar issues in our country and don’t have the resources to fight back like I did. We need to continue supporting them. I’m committed to working with my team at the REFORM Alliance to change these outdated laws and fix our broken criminal justice system."
He added on Instagram, "As of right now I’m not on probation and I am not a felon anymore
Michael Rubin (REFORM Alliance co-chair and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner) also released a statement saying, "I’m thrilled for Meek that the Superior Court granted him a new trial and, for the first time in his adult life, he’s no longer on probation and has no criminal record. Time after time, I’ve watched the criminal justice system railroad Meek, but through it all, he’s handled this adversity with extraordinary strength and poise. But the fight isn’t over — there are still millions of people unfairly trapped in the legal system. Meek, myself and our team at the REFORM Alliance are working feverishly to address these issues in a meaningful way and with transformative legislation."
On Tuesday, Meek Mill and Jay-Z announced they are now business partners joining forces to create "Dream Chasers" record label.
