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.
