Meek Mill will have to wait until the end of the month to learn the decision on whether his more than decade-long drug and gun case will be retried or dismissed.

"While we had hoped that this matter would end today, we remain confident that justice will prevail in Meek's case once and for all," Mill’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said in a statement. 

This continues a more than 12-year legal battle for the 32-year-old Philadelphia rapper (born Robert Rihmeek Williams), who has been on probation for most of his adult life.

On Aug. 6, several dozen fans and supporters gathered outside of the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice in Center City to rally in support of Mill. Many of which were donning shirts that read “FREE MEEK” or “I STAND WITH MEEK.”

Some of the signs held during Meek Mill rally in Center City on Aug. 6. Photo: Jensen Toussaint

The support will have to continue, however, for at least another three weeks, when he goes in front of a judge again on Aug. 27. 

Philadelphians raise their arms in solidarity for Meek Mill. Photo: Jensen Toussaint

“We thought the case was going to be dismissed... it was not,” Sixx King, a community activist, said during the rally. “[But] we’ll be right back. We don’t expect anything to be easy... But what we want [for everyone] to do is to keep the pressure, especially on social media.”

Movie director and life-long community activist, Sixx King, addressed the crowd during the rally. Photo: Jensen Toussaint

Mill has become an activist and a face for criminal justice reform since he was released from state custody in April 2018, after serving nearly five months for violating his probation. In Jan. 2019, Mill, along with rapper & entrepreneur Jay-Z, political commentator Van Jones, Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin and many others, officially launched the REFORM Alliance, a new initiative focused on overhauling the probation and parole system. The initiative’s goal is to free at least 1 million people who are incarcerated, within the next five years.

“Every time I started fulfilling my life [within] the music industry, every year or two, there was always something that brought me back to ground zero because of probation," Mill said in an interview with Vulture. “I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m here to speak for the ones who don’t have a voice. I didn’t ask to be the face of reform, but I want to bridge gaps and make the world a better place, especially for my culture.”

Last month, Mill was granted a new trial and new judge based on recently revealed evidence of alleged police corruption.

The previous judge, Genece Brinkley, had kept Mill on probation for more than 10 years. Mill was originally sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison after a 2007 conviction on gun, drug and assault charges. He has since violated his probation four times, and served two stints in prison.

Mill will now wait an additional three weeks before learning whether his case will be thrown out, or if he will find himself back in trial.