UPDATED 3:36 p.m. ET: A reporter from KYW 1060 reports the Pennsylvania Superior Court denied the 147-page emergency petition to get Meek Mill released. As of now, there's no word from Meek's legal team on how they will proceed.
PA Superior Court DENIED emergency motion (all 147 pages of it) to release @MeekMill from prison & throw it back down to lower (Philly) court. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/vzRwoz5XYq
Original story is below.
Meek Mill's legal team continues the push for his release. The Philadelphia-born rapper's lawyers have filed an emergency petition for an Original Writ of Habeas Corpus at the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, asking that Robert Rihmeek Williams be released on bail.
Under the section "Grounds for Immediate Release on Bail," the petition reads:
"Williams is an excellent candidate for bail pending decision on his post-sentence motion and, if necessary, pending appeal. He has no remedy to enforce this right effectively except to petition this Court for the extraordinary relief of an emergency writ. Since being convicted in one case as a teenager more than a decade ago, he has suffered no new convictions, and has not engaged in other criminal activity. He does not present any danger to the community. He has matured, become a responsible father, acquired a profession in which he has excelled, conquered a drug habit, and generally been rehabilitated."
Meek was taken into custody immediately after being sentenced to two-to-four years in prison for parole violation stemming from a 2008 conviction for gun and drug charges. The sentencing was viewed as harsh by many; even the prosecutors recommended against jail time.
The sentencing of Meek shocked fans and former enemies. Drake, who had a high profile beef with Meek, said "Free Meek Mill too. You right," after spotting a fan wearing a "Free Meek Mill" shirt at a performance in Melbourne, Australia.
Jay Zwrote an op-ed for the New York Times in which he slammed the criminal justice system as an "absurdity." Jay also brought up the case of Meek Mill. "On the surface, this may look like the story of yet another criminal rapper who didn't smarten up and is back where he started," Jay wrote. "But consider this: Meek was around 19 when he was convicted on charges relating to drug and gun possession, and he served an eight-month sentence. Now he’s 30, so he has been on probation for basically his entire adult life."
Meek's legal team has alleged that the judge who sentenced Meek did so because of a personal vendetta. Attorney Joe Tacopina claims that Judge Genece Brinkley has acted inappropriately on multiple occasions. Tacopina alleges that Brinkley asked Meek to remake the Boyz II Men song "On Bended Knee" and give her a shout-out on the track.
Meek, who initially thought of the request as a joke, laughed it off. The judge then allegedly replied, "OK, suit yourself." Tacopina has also claimed that Brinkley pressured Meek to leave Roc Nation and sign with her friend Charlie Mack. The FBI is reportedly looking into Brinkley's possible misconduct.
Speaking to Complex at the time, Tacopina remarked, "So Meek denies both of those requests, now we have to wonder and guess if that has anything to do with the sentence she gave him yesterday? I think you have to wonder and guess that it did. The probation officer and the district attorney both said he doesn't deserve any jail time for these technical violations. Both cases were dismissed, but to her it doesn't matter."
