The judge presiding over Meek Mill’s case reportedly denied the rapper’s request to be released on bail. On Monday (Apr. 2), Mill’s lawyer Joe Tocapina said it was a perfect illustration of Judge Genece Brinkley’s “personal vendetta” against the 30-year-old rapper.
Brinkley’s decision is antithetical to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner being unopposed to the MMG member being released on bail while the court decides if Brinkley should be removed from the case, resulting in an overturned sentence.
“This ruling from Judge Genece Brinkley simply reaffirms the fact she has turned Meek Mill’s case into a personal vendetta,” Tacopina said in a statement. According to CBS Philly, Brinkley said the court found him “in technical violation of his probation for the fifth time, and as result, revoked his probation and sentenced him to a term of two to four years state incarceration.” The judge denies allegations of stepping into Mill’s personal and professional life and said she won’t recuse herself from the case, according to the New York Daily News.
“This bald allegation has no basis in reality. There is zero evidence to support this claim,” she wrote according to court documents obtained by the Daily News. “The court has repeatedly told Defendant that he cannot demand special treatment just because he has chosen to be an entertainer.”
Mill’s team of lawyers filed a motion on March 20 to have Brinkley removed from his case on grounds of her allegedly exceeding “the judicial role by sometimes essentially acting as prosecutor, and at other times taking an unusual interest in, and trying to interject herself into, Mr. Williams’ personal and professional life.”
It was revealed a couple months ago (Feb. 14) that Mill’s arresting officer, Reginald Graham, appeared on a list composed by the city’s District Attorney’s Office of officers who breached legal codes and conduct. Despite this, Brinkley remains steadfast in her support of Graham’s testimony.
Tacopina said Mill’s team has filed petitions with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to overturn this decision.