Jussie Smollett, the first Empire The actor, who was convicted in 2021 of directing a hate crime against him in 2019, had that conviction overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court. The court ruled that since Smollett had negotiated a deal when similar charges were filed in 2019, prosecutors violated due process by retrying him two years later.
The case began in January 2019, when Smollett reported to the Chicago Police Department that he had been the target of a racist and homophobic attack. Two suspects were released from custody after they told police that Smollett had paid them to stage the attack, leading to a 16-count indictment by the jury against Smollett.
Prosecutors dropped the case when Smollett agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform community service, but, in 2021, the case was rekindled amid public outcry. The second time, he was convicted of six counts and sentenced to 150 days in jail. After six days, he was released again so he could take the case to the Illinois Court of Appeals. That court upheld the conviction before the case escalated to the Illinois Supreme Court, where Judge Elizabeth M. Rochford reversed the conviction. Smollett has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Nenye Uche, Smollett's lawyer, said in a statement reported by The New York Times“We are grateful to the Illinois Supreme Court for restoring order to Illinois criminal law jurisprudence.”
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