Month: February 2022

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Morant Madness: Ja’s ‘Never-Satisfied Mentality’ Key to Grizzlies’ Success

Ja Morant goes up for a slam against the Chicago Bulls. (Photo Credit: Memphis Grizzlies Twitter)

The adage goes, “It’s Memphis vs. Errrbody,” but the Memphis Grizzlies are slowly changing that narrative, thanks in part to the ascension of Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant.

The Grizzlies have moved up a notch this season thanks in part to Morant’s all-around game, which is sometimes overshadowed by his flash and flare. As Grizzlies color analyst for Bally Sports Brevin Knight put it on Bleav in Grizzlies podcast, “Morant makes solid plays but has flair on how it happens.”

Here is a replay with a little bit of flair, as Knight put it. 

In spite of his numerous WTF-inducing plays, Morant’s basketball acumen and overall understanding of the game go largely unnoticed. During a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast, Draymond Green revealed the names of the NBA’s most intelligent players and Morant’s name was mentioned. 

Green said, “The smartest players I’ve played against are by far LeBron, Rajon Rondo, and Chris Paul. Who’s creeping up into that category, is Ja Morant. Everybody is excited about how Ja Morant flies around, everyone is excited about the passes he may throw. … All of those things are very exciting, don’t get me wrong, they’re exciting. But the thing that excites me most about Ja Morant, is that when we’re playing against the Memphis Grizzlies — and not quite to the level of LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, or Chris Paul — but when we’re playing against [Memphis], I can feel the chess match.”

Grizzlies play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica recently told The Undefeated that Morant had the best basketball IQ of any Memphis player he had ever been around in his 18 years with the team.

Pranica recalled, “Ja’s rookie year, we’re in Cleveland and I’m sitting on the team bus getting ready to go to the game … And I can hear him talking to a teammate recounting a particular play run at a particular time. And what impressed me about Ja is the recall of a particular play. It’s very LeBron-like that he can recount what he did, what the other nine guys were doing. What the first action was, what the second action was, how it was defended, and what the counter to the defense was.”

Saturday night, the third-year guard scored 46 points in a 116-111 win over the Chicago Bulls, setting a new regular season record for the team.

https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1497788441756590085?s=20&t=q3eQ9BEVeKeTAaNEaZZ7IQ

It was his fifth 40-point game of the season; no other Grizzlies player has ever had more than one in a season. Last season, Morant set a franchise record with 47 points against the Utah Jazz in the playoffs.

After the game, Morant also credited Michael Jordan as inspiration. 

After being bounced from the playoffs last season against the Jazz, Morant had a message for his team. His words were, “We will be back.” He also said, “We all have that never-satisfied mentality -— we all want to work, to be better, for it to be everybody is a big plus. We just got to continue to do what we’ve been doing. Lock in this offseason and just be prepared for next season.” 

And that’s what the team did. Memphis is currently 42-20 on the season, third in the Western Conference, and almost certain to make the playoffs with 20 games left in the regular season. The young Grizzlies are poised to win the Southwest Division for the first time in team history. 

Despite the absence of one of the team’s best perimeter defenders, Dillon Books, who has missed 21 games due to injury, the Grizzlies still lead the league in rebounds (49.2), steals (10.2), and blocks (6.4).

On Media Day before the season began, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said emphatically that the 22-year-old Morant would be an NBA All-Star. Furthermore, Kleiman was accurate as Morant was selected a starter for the NBA 2022 All-Star Game.

While playing just 18 minutes, Morant was one of the All-Star Game’s biggest winners with two highlight dunks that made NBA legends blush. 

NBA Hall of Famer and TNT announcer Reggie Miller wants Morant to compete in the Slam Dunk contest next season.

After the All-Star Game, Morant said he was excited to be chosen as an All-Star; it was something he put in the work to accomplish. He said, “Definitely blessed to even be a part of this weekend, let alone being able to be an All-Star starter, being able to participate and celebrate the greatest people to play the game. Definitely an honor — I loved it!”

That said, the accolades mean nothing to the young star if he doesn’t win games. Morant added, “I just try to do whatever I can do to help my team win basketball games. If you ask my coach, he will tell you that the main focus is winning. When you will, all the other stuff comes with it, which is why I’m here in this seat right now.”

This season Morant is averaging 27.7 points on 49 percent from the field, 6.7 assists, and 5.9 rebounds. He’s also the NBA’s top scorer in the paint, averaging 16.5 points per game at 6’3”.

Morant’s ultimate goal is to win a championship. He said, “Our goal is to win the championship, and I feel like as long as we stay locked in, continue to grow together, play together, that goal can be achieved. We just got to stay the course, take it day by day, and let it play out.”

Last year’s Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said that Morant and the Grizzlies are another small market team that can challenge for the championship. Antetokounmpo shared his thoughts on Morant and the Grizzlies during All-Star weekend, “He has improved every single year — he is having an unbelievable year this year … crazy.” Antetokounmpo continued, “I know that he is a very humble kid. I know he works extremely hard, and why not?” 

Antetokounmpo added, “Why can’t he win a championship in Memphis? A lot of people think that it cannot be done, and that’s something that he should literally consider. A lot of people think that he cannot do it. For me that motivates me even more, you know, when people think you got to go to a big market to win a championship, you have to join this guy to win a championship, you have to do that, that, this, this to be able to be in the top, but it’s not necessarily true. You just have to do what makes you happy. And I think he is happy where he is right now. He has an unbelievable team. They have a great culture, a great coach. The sky is the limit for them.”

It’s going to be a grueling final stretch for the Grizzlies and Morant, with just 20 games remaining in the regular season. Despite his youth, the point guard is already showing signs of experience and poise under pressure and knows he belongs in the conversation as one of the top players in the league. Morant has rightfully earned his place as one of the league’s most promising young players and one of the future faces of the league in his third season. And he is ready to lead his team to the playoffs and beyond. 

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

“Soul Bowl” Coming to The Four Way Restaurant

The "Soul Bowl" at Four Way Restaurant (Credit: Glenn Vaulx III)

The Four Way Restaurant will introduce a new item beginning March 10th during Memphis Black Restaurant Week. And I can’t wait.

Get ready for the “Soul Bowl.”

“A lot of people have different bowls at certain restaurants,” says The Four Way owner Patrice Bates Thompson. “Our bowl is going to be cornbread and you’re going to have a hole where you’re going to put in sides. Mine would be mac [and cheese], yams, and cabbage. Inside of a bowl made out of cornbread.”

Sides can be “anything you want.”

But, Thompson says, “I typically don’t like my food to touch. You can’t be that person. Because the sides are going to go in the center of hot cornbread. And they’re going to sit there together.”

The idea of the juice from the sides soaking into the cornbread is driving me crazy. I can already taste it. I’m imagining all the different side items inside of that cornbread bowl, which I also can’t wait to devour.

Thompson would like to leave the “Soul Bowl” on the menu. “I hope we can. I hope people love it and we can. That’s my goal. I don’t want it to be a temporary thing.”

Check it out during Memphis Black Restaurant Week and spread the word.

According its website, Memphis Black Restaurant Week, which will be held March 6th through 12th, will feature more than 25 Black-owned restaurants. The event is “an opportunity for Black-owned restaurants to offer dining deals to bring in new customers and raise awareness. It allows the country to support minority owned eateries.”

The Four Way Restaurant is at 998 Mississippi Boulevard; (901) 507-1519.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

Ukraine Invasion Raises Gas Prices in Tennessee

Credit: AAA

The tanks rolling on Ukraine have arrived at Tennessee gas pumps.

AAA, the auto club and gas price watcher, said average gas prices in Tennessee have jumped 15 cents in the last week. Prices have jumped 35 cents in the last month and 94 cents over the last year. 

The latest increase, AAA said, is directly connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move roiled the oil market with crude spiking over $100 per barrel before settling back into the mid-$90 range. 

“Russia’s invasion and the responding escalating series of financial sanctions by the U.S. and its allies have given the global oil market the jitters,” said Megan Cooper, AAA spokeswoman. “Like the U.S. stock market, the oil market responds poorly to volatility. This serves as a reminder that events on the far side of the globe can have a ripple effect for American consumers.” 

AAA said U.S. gas stocks decreased by 600,000 barrels last week to a total of more than 246 million barrels. Gas demand rose slightly here at the same time. Together, lower supply and higher demand are expected to continue to push gas prices higher. 

Tennessee ranks seventh among U.S. states for the largest weekly increase. The highest 10 percent of pump prices across the state are around $3.69 for regular unleaded. The lowest 10 percent are around $3.19, AAA said.   

Memphis had some of the least expensive gas prices in the state with an average price of $3.40. Nashville had the highest at around $3.53 per gallon.  

Credit: AAA

The lowest gas price in the Memphis area is the Kick Stop in Horn Lake on Goodman Road. A gallon of regular was listed there at $2.89 per gallon, according to the Gas Buddy website. This was followed by the Marion, Arkansas Walmart ($2.95) and the Memphis Exxon on Perkins ($2.95). 

To cut your fuel bill, AAA suggests limiting your drive time, removing excess weight in your car, driving conservatively, and consider paying cash as some retailers charge more for customers using cards. 

Categories
Film Features Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday: “What’s Louder Than Love?” by Mark Edgar Stuart

Memphis folk-rock stalwart and MVM frequent flyer Mark Edgar Stuart‘s got a new album coming out called Until We Meet Again. “It’s a quasi-concept album about life, love, and afterlife,” he says.

The lead single, “What’s Louder Than Love?” exemplifies the mood of the record, which Stuart calls “Nothing too heavy, and nothing too personal … My past videos have been melancholy, so this time I wanted to come out swinging with something upbeat and light-hearted. I figured after the past two years we’ve had, who wants to hear more sad shit?”

Bassist Landon Moore directed the video. “It was 100 percent his vision,” says Stuart. “All I did was just walk around Midtown and hang out with some of my favorite Memphis people — mostly those who worked on the record like my two producers Reba Russell and Dawn Hopkins, plus musician pals Will Sexton and Shawn Zorn. There’s tons of great cameos too including Keith Sykes, Jerry Phillips, and Matt Ross-Spang … Making this video was an absolute hoot. My favorite scene is Steve Selvidge and Rod Norwood airing out their Facebook rivalry on camera.”

If you’d like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.

Categories
News Blog

First Horizon to be Acquired by TD Bank Group

First Horizon president and CEO Bryan Jordan (Credit; First Horizon Corporation)

One of the region’s biggest financial institutions is about to be under new leadership. Earlier today, First Horizon Corporation announced that it is set to be acquired by Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries (TD Bank Group). The all-cash transaction is valued at US $13.4 billion.

“First Horizon is a great bank and a terrific strategic fit for TD. It provides TD with immediate presence and scale in highly attractive adjacent markets in the U.S. with significant opportunity for future growth across the Southeast,” said Bharat Masrani, group president and CEO of TD. “Working with the First Horizon team, TD will build upon the success of its strong franchise and deliver the legendary customer experiences that differentiate us in every market across our footprint.”

As of December 31, 2021, First Horizon boasted 412 branches across 12 states and assets totaling $89.1 billion. Meanwhile, TD is the fifth largest bank in North America and serves more than 26 million customers. As of October 31, 2021, TD reported overall CDN$1.7 trillion in assets.

The transaction will turn TD into a top 6 U.S. bank, with about $614 billion in assets and a network of 1,560 stores across 22 states. According to TD, there are no plans to shut down any First Horizon branches in connection to the transaction. Upon closing, TD will also make a $40 million donation to the First Horizon Foundation.

First Horizon president and CEO Bryan Jordan will join TD as vice chair, TD Bank Group.

“We have built a very strong business at First Horizon, and by joining forces with TD, we will create extraordinary value for our key stakeholders with a shared customer-centric strategy, enhanced scale and a broader product set for our clients. This is a true growth story,” said Jordan. “We have long respected TD as a leader in U.S. banking and are confident that its continued and growing investments in our local markets will extend our long history of community support. Thank you to our First Horizon associates for their efforts and dedication to our clients and communities as we continue to deliver for them every day. We look forward to successfully completing this transaction and are excited to join TD.”

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of TD’s 2023 fiscal year.

Categories
Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers’ Alpha Emerges (Finally!)

Jalen Duren (photo by Larry Kuzniewski)

We learned in their upset of 6th-ranked Houston on February 12th that the Memphis Tigers have a “Big Three”: Landers Nolley, DeAndre Williams, and Jalen Duren. In the four games since that season-turning victory, we’ve learned which player, among those three, is this team’s Alpha. It’s freshman center Jalen Duren, by a head and two large shoulders. With March basketball upon us, it’s about time for this clarification.

Since returning from a hand injury on February 5th, Duren has averaged 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds over seven games (six of them Memphis victories). He scored at least 11 points in all seven games and put up double-doubles in consecutive wins over UCF, Tulane, and Houston. He may have joined the Memphis program as merely one of two top-five recruits (along with Emoni Bates), but Duren alone has risen to the college game in much the same way Precious Achiuwa did two seasons ago on his way to Player of the Year honors in the American Athletic Conference. Currently the AAC’s leader in both rebounds and blocked shots, Duren is a lock for first-team all-conference accolades, if not the same hardware Achiuwa landed.

The Pennsylvania native may be only 18 years old, but he stands 6’11” and weighs 250 pounds, very little of that weight so much as approximating flab. And size, friends, does not slump. These are assets Duren will enjoy as long as he plays a sport with a goal ten feet above the floor. Add his quickness, a shooting touch from beyond 10 feet, and a healthy dose of “want to” — Duren will hit the floor after a loose ball — and you see how the Tigers’ Alpha is projected among the top 15 players in June’s NBA draft. (He turns 19 in November, making him eligible for this year’s draft.)

Duren had what might be considered, for him, an off day in the Tigers’ beat-down of Wichita State Sunday: merely 13 points and seven rebounds. But he altered one Shocker shot after another, the kind of defensive presence that can’t be measured in the box score. (He did get credit for three blocks.) Following the game, I asked Tiger coach Penny Hardaway if Duren reminded him of any teammate or opponent from Hardaway’s playing career.

“Jalen reminds me of Chris Webber,” said Hardaway. “He has the same mannerisms. [Assistant Coach] Rasheed [Wallace] and I talked about that. They have similarities.”

If you know your basketball history, Hardaway’s comparison is poignant. Webber and Hardaway were both consensus All-Americans in 1992-93 (Webber with Michigan, Hardaway with Memphis State). The Orlando Magic chose Webber with the first pick in the 1993 NBA draft, only to trade him minutes later to Golden State for the Warriors’ selection at number-three: Penny Hardaway. Webber was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, while Hardaway still awaits the game’s highest honor. You can be sure the Tigers’ coach knows Webber’s game almost as well as his own. And he sees that game — that kind of impact — in Jalen Duren.

The last time the Memphis program reached the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, in 2009, the Tigers’ had a distinctive Alpha on the roster: Tyreke Evans. If there was a shortcoming for the teams that made the Dance four straight years (2011-14) under coach Josh Pastner, it was the lack of an Alpha star. Was it Will Barton? (Maybe his sophomore season.) D.J. Stephens? Joe Jackson? Those were multi-talented teams, and they should be credited for making the NCAAs when so many Tiger teams fell short in the eight years since. But the one player — the Alpha — capable of shouldering a deep tournament run? I’m not convinced Pastner ever had the asset Hardaway does right now in Jalen Duren.

After Sunday’s win, Landers Nolley — a “Big Three” member himself — said, “We’re in control of our own destiny. If we lose, it’s on us.” His team’s Alpha may be only 18, and he may have one eye already on a promising NBA career. But if the 2021-22 Tigers are to reach the heights they envision, it’s on no player more than Jalen Duren. Based on his play in February, that may be a comfortable load.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Down the Stretch: Grizzlies’ Guide to Playoff Success

Ja Morant and Desmond Bane (Grizzlies Twitter @Memgrizz)

Now that All-Star Weekend has come and gone, it’s time for the Grizzlies to get back to basketball.  

There are 21 games remaining in the regular season, and the Grizzlies are positioned to make a respectable playoff run.  

If the playoffs started today, the Grizzlies would meet the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Memphis currently holds the third seed in the Western Conference, and there is potential for them to move up to the second seed. 

Potential first-round matchups with either Dallas or Minnesota are also not outside the realm of possibility if either the former slips down a position or the latter moves up. Both of those scenarios are still in play, but avoiding Dallas in the first round if possible is in Memphis’ best interest. 

Here are some ways the Grizzlies can maximize their chances for success down the stretch and into the postseason.  

Stay the course — There are a lot of things that this team does really well. They are first in the league in rebounds per game, in offensive rebounds per game, steals per game, blocks per game, and third in assists per game. In this regard, the Grizzlies just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing for the rest of the season. 

Do not throw away your shot — Right now, the Grizzlies are also first in the league in field goal attempts and tied for first in points per game. They are also an incredible 33-0 when they have a higher field goal percentage than their opponents. Purposeful and intentional shot selection needs to be a focus. There is one area in particular that needs to be addressed — free throw shooting, which brings us to our next and possibly most important point.

YGTMYFT — I feel like a broken record at this point, but this matters a lot when the point differential between wins and losses falls within the range of the number of free throws missed in a game. 

The Grizzlies are second in the league in free throw attempts, getting to the line an average of 23 times per game. Unfortunately, they have struggled throughout the season to capitalize on this, and it has been to their detriment. Ranking 28th in free throw shooting, there is much room for improvement.

A public service announcement from the Ministry of Making Your Fucking Free Throws

The worst offenders are Brandon Clarke and Steven Adams, shooting 67 percent and 55 percent respectively.

But Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant get to the free-throw line more than any other players on the team, so while they are shooting 80 percent and 75 percent from the charity stripe respectively, any improvement from the two of them would have the biggest impact. 

Uncertain factors — The return of Dillon Brooks is a wildcard at this point. If he is cleared to play, obviously, he should get some minutes, but how exactly is that accomplished when the team is doing so well without him? The Grizzlies need what Brooks can give them on both ends of the court, and it remains to be seen if they will be able to reintegrate him into the lineup and continue playing as well as they have.  

In closing:  

The ultimate goal for any NBA team is to win a championship and for Memphis, that window is opening now.

This means it’s time for the Grizzlies to lock in and buckle down, and for fans to enjoy the ride.  

Welcome to the Dark.  

All statistics from basketball-reference.com. 

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Moses’ Conviction for Voter Fraud Overturned

Pamela Moses, whose conviction in Criminal Court for voter fraud and resultant six-year prison sentence drew strenuous protests from activists recently, has had her conviction overturned.

This unexpected turnabout was announced in a brief statement released Friday from the office of District Attorney General Amy Weirich, who had prosecuted Moses.

The statement reads: “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. 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.”

The reference to “political opportunists” may have been a reference to one of Weirich’s declared opponents in this year’s elections, former County Commissioner and University of Memphis law professor Steve Mulroy.

Mulroy, who in his campaign has frequently alluded to judicial sanctions of Weirich for misconduct and to overzealous prosecutions, was in the group of protesters who braved sub-freezing weather and storm conditions two weeks ago to mount a protest of the severity of Moses’ sentence outside 201 Poplar.

Apprised of Weirich’s statement, Mulroy made one of his own:

“The NAACP, Memphis For All, and other citizens protesting this case are not ‘political opportunists.’ More important: Amy Weirich was wrong to bring this case, and wrong to ask for felony prison time, in the first place. This latest development just compounds the wrong. It’s yet another example of key evidence suddenly materializing after the fact. If it happens once, it’s a mistake. Over and over again, it’s a deeply troubling pattern, and further proof why we need a new DA.”

Moses has continued to proclaim her innocence. In attempting to vote, she had presented a certificate from the Department of Corrections attesting that her rights had been restored after serving out a probation for a felony conviction.

The document was genuine, but the probation, as it turned out, had not been completed, and controversy had lingered not only regarding Moses’ role in clouding the issue but regarding the severity of her sentence.

Others participating in the recent protest were Jeffrey Lichtenstein, Josh Spickler, Cardell Orrin, Tekeila Rucker, and Paula Burress.

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

The Worst Person in the World

Renate Reinsve as Julie in The Worst Person In The World.

The Apartment, which recently screened at Crosstown Arts, is the greatest romantic comedy of all time. Director Billy Wilder created a pair of star-crossed lovers, played by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, who feel lost among the skyscrapers of New York, and only find belonging with each other. The razor-sharp screenplay lets Bud and Fran make bad choices, and invites you to root for them to make the right ones, even while you’re not sure they actually have the courage to choose each other. 

That deeply humane approach is apparent in Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s new film, The Worst Person in the World. When we first meet Julie (Renate Reinsve), she’s a medical student in Oslo who seemingly has everything. Then, she makes an impulsive decision to quit med school and pursue her dreams. Except that, she doesn’t really know what her dreams are, since she recently believed it was to become a doctor. At first, she tries majoring in psychology, but that only lasts until she has an affair with one of her professors. When scrolling through her iPhone photos, she decides she’s got a pretty good eye, and decides to ditch psychology for photography. 

One fringe benefit of her new direction is that she gets to date models instead of stuffy academics, and run in circles with much more engaging people. That’s where she meets Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a successful comic artist who has just cut a movie deal. Julie is impressed with Aksel’s confidence, and finds herself attracted to the good looking, intelligent guy, even after she finds out he’s 15 years her senior. For his part, Aksel likes her spunky energy, and basks in her attention. The two hit it off, and the next time we see them, they’re living together, she’s meeting Aksel’s parents, and he wants to talk about having kids. 

That’s a lot of plot to fit into the first two segments of a story that spans 12 chapters, an intro, and a epilog, but Trier is nothing if not economical in his storytelling. The Worst Person in the World follows Julie as she stumbles through the world, never entirely sure about what she wants or how to get it. Reinsve is instantly likable, and it’s fun to follow along while she crashes parties and trips on mushrooms, in a scene which allows Trier to give his experimental tendencies room to run. Aksel helps Julie gain confidence in herself, but his arrogance wears thin after a while, and she starts casting about for someone else, even before she consciously realizes what she’s doing. Eivind (Herbert Nordrum) is much closer to Julie’s age, and the two of them seem to share some kind of strange magnetism when they meet. Unfortunately, he’s married to Sunniva (Maria Grazia Di Meo), so their single meeting looks like it will be their last — until it’s not. 

Julie (Renate Reinsve) runs through the streets of Oslo.

The episodic structure makes The Worst Person in the World feel a bit like a loose collection of short films than a coherent feature film, but Trier and co-writer Eskil Vogt have a deft touch. They choose exactly the right story beats to illustrate Julie’s years-long character arc, as she turns 30 while still struggling to figure out her place in the world, and who she wants by her side. The central love triangle of Reinsve, Lie, and Nordrum is so strong that Trier can go on flights of fancy and still remain grounded and relatable. The ending, which I will not spoil here, seemed anticlimactic at first, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. This film seems like a rom-com on the surface, but it’s really about Julie learning to accept herself, and learning that she’s not, as she calls herself, the worst person in the world. My biggest beef is that, like Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, there seems to be an awful lot of unnecessary running going on. 

But maybe that’s just how they do it in Oslo, a very pedestrian-oriented city with lots of easily accessible public transportation. This is the third film in what Trier calls his Oslo trilogy, in which the city itself is the only recurring character. He photographs the verdant city with the affection and knowledge of a longtime resident, which really made me want to visit, and maybe crash a wedding or two. 

The Worst Person in the World is now playing at Malco Ridgeway Cinema Grill.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

New Trial Ordered in Voting Fraud Case

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Pamela Moses, the Memphis activist sentenced to six years in prison for voting fraud, will get a new trial. 

Moses lost her voting rights with a conviction in 2015. However, she was working through proper channels to get those rights restored in 2019. Moses had her voter registration documents signed by the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) and the Shelby County Election Commission.

However, an error was made. A corrections officer mistakenly signed a document stating Moses’ probation was over, though it was not. So, she was not eligible to vote when she filed her papers to, once again, appear on the voting rolls here. 

For this, she was charged, convicted, and sentenced to six years and one day for illegally attempting to register to vote. Many decried the decision, saying the sentence was too harsh and unequal to sentences given to others, particularly white men, for the same crime. 

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Mark Ward ordered the new trial Friday. Ward presided over Moses’ 2019 trial. He wrote Friday that he does not disagree with the jury’s verdict against Moses. He said Moses likely knew she was still on probation while she was attempting to restore her voting rights, especially with a court order stating her probation would not be over until 2022, he said. 

“Based on this evidence, it was reasonable and legitimate for the jury to infer that [Moses] knew the representations on the form about her probation were untrue when she obtained the statement from the probation officer and when she attempted to use false information to register to vote,” Ward wrote in the order. 

The new trial comes as Ward said some evidence in the 2021 trial should not have been admitted. Also, Ward said prosecutors in the case failed to hand over an email to Moses’ attorney that could have possibly aided her defense. However, prosecutors said they had never seen the email in question before handed a copy of it by Moses’ attorney. Moses’ attorney said the failure to disclose it was not intentional. 

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich said her office was not to blame for the mistake.

“When reporters or political opportunists use the word ‘state’ they need to be crystal clear that the error was made by the [Tennessee Department of Corrections] and not any attorney or officer in the office of the Shelby County District Attorney.”

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich

“The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) failed to turn over a necessary document in the case of Pamela Moses and therefore her conviction has been overturned by the judge,” Weirich said in a statement Friday. “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.”

Josh Spickler, executive director with the criminal reform advocacy group Just City, said Weirich’s office “has a well-documented record of failing to produce evidence that could benefit the accused.”

“Yet again, in a very high-profile case that has made national headlines, her office has failed to produce a critical document, and a judge has reversed a conviction,” Spickler said. “We can’t know how often this happens, but this is a clear pattern and it must be addressed. Our community deserves better than this.”