Meek Mill. Photo: Randy Miramontez/Shutterstock.com

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered embattled hip hop star Meek Mill released from prison on an unsecured bail, and ordered the trial court to rule on the rapper's Post-Conviction Relief Act petition within 60 days.

Ruling on a King's Bench petition filed with the high court last month, the justices issued a per curiam order Tuesday directing the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to release Meek Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, under conditions similar to the probation he had been serving until he was imprisoned last year.

Williams has been on probation since 2008. After being arrested twice in 2016 on charges that were later dropped, Philadelphia Judge Genece Brinkley sentenced Williams in November to two-to-four years in prison. The sentence stunned both Williams' fan-base and criminal justice attorneys alike, since neither Williams' probation officer nor the prosecutor on the case had sought jail time.

The sentence brought Philadelphia into the national spotlight over issues about inequalities in the criminal justice system, and it also sparked a very public feud between Williams and Brinkley, with Williams accusing the judge of being enamored with him and alleging that the FBI had investigated her handling of the case.

Although Williams has repeatedly sought to have Brinkley removed from the case, the Supreme Court, however, rejected that request Tuesday, but said Brinkley “may opt to remove herself” from the case.

In a statement to the press Williams thanked his fans, Jay-Z and his record label Roc Nation, as well as the Supreme Court and all of his public advocates. He also thanked the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, which recently said it would not oppose immediate bail and expressed doubt about the credibility of a police officer, who was a key witness in Williams' case.

“To the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, I'm grateful for your commitment to justice—not only for my case, but for others that have been wrongfully jailed due to police misconduct,” Williams said in the statement. “Although I'm blessed to have the resources to fight this unjust situation, I understand that many people of color across the country don't have that luxury and I plan to use my platform to shine a light on those issues.”

A statement from Williams' New York City-based attorney Joe Tacopina said he was “thrilled” with the ruling.

“As we have said all along, Meek was unjustly convicted and should not have spent a single day in jail,” Tacopina said. “Meek is excited to be reunited with his family, and we, along with Meek, intend to continue to shine the light on a justice system in need of reform to prevent any other citizen from being put through what Meek has endured.”

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said in an emailed statement that the Supreme Court's ruling was consistent with the office's position in the case.

“The public can always count on the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to try to pursue justice in a fair and evenhanded manner,” spokesman Ben Waxman said. “We will always do our best to remain true to this standard. ”

As part of Williams' appeal, he has cited credibility concerns regarding Philadelphia Police Officer Reginald Graham. According to multiple media reports, Graham is on a list of police officers who Philadelphia prosecutors have determined should not be put on the stand to testify due to credibility issues.

Despite city prosecutors agreeing that Williams should be given a new trial over the concerns, Brinkley recently ordered Williams to remain in jail until a June hearing could be held to delve into the PCRA petition.

In granting Williams' bail, the Supreme Court, however, cited those concerns raised by District Attorney's Office and the prosecutors' statements that Williams should be granted PCRA relief.

Last week, Philadelphia President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper also granted PCRA petitions of three people who cited Graham's testimony as a key part of their criminal conviction, and the DA's Office agreed to drop the charges in those cases. Similar PCRA petitions are pending in more than 100 cases, according to court officials.