MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Pam Moses was back in court Friday and got the news that she’s been wanting to hear.
The Memphis activist jailed for illegal voting will get a new trial.
The news was met with a shout of victory from Moses, thanking God that she will get a new trial in Shelby County Court after she was convicted of illegally voting when she is a convicted felon.
“Thank you Jesus! Thank you Judge Ward. God Bless you. Thank you Jesus,” she said.
Moses maintained she didn’t know her voting had been stripped forever when she went to the parole board to get a voter reinstatement form and took it to the election commission.
Judge Mark Ward, who sentenced her to six years in prison, granted her a new trial, saying things brought out about a prior conviction were not significant to this case and should not have been considered by the jury.
He also said a document from probation officials was not disclosed at trial.
“Treating this as an inadvertent failure to provide discovery under Rule 16, in conjunction with the 404B Evidentiary issue, this court is granting a new trial,” Judge Ward said.
Moses maintained she didn’t know her voting had been stripped forever when she went to the Probation Office to get a voter restoration form and took it to the election commission.
In a hearing Friday, her attorney pointed out that the mistake was with the Probation Office, who signed off on her having fulfilled her sentence.
WREG followed the case from almost the beginning and recently the case gained national attention.
Moses’ supporters like Paula Buress say she was ready for this.
“Her last words to me yesterday was she was gonna pray to God. And her reaction was very fitting. Thank you Jesus,” Burress said.
And more good news for the jailed activist, who had been denied bond. Now she will get one, as she continues to fight the charges against her.
District Attorney General Amy Weirich distanced her office from the judge’s decision to overturn, pointing out that the state Department of Correction failed to turn over the document in the case.
“The Tennessee Department of Correction failed to turn over a necessary document in the case of Pamela Moses and therefore her conviction has been overturned by the judge,” read a statement from Weirich’s office. “When reporters or political opportunists use the word ‘state’ they need to be crystal clear that the error was made by the TDOC and not any attorney or officer in the office of the Shelby County District Attorney.”
Moses’ new trial date is set for April 25.
