In a stunning developing story, Jussie Smollett‘s conviction for the alleged hoax hate has been overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Full story below…
As widely reported, the ‘Empire’ actor alleged that he was attacked by MAGA supporters.
However, investigators would eventually turn their suspicions to him and he was eventually convicted on five felony counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself in December 2021.
Smollett was sentenced in 2022 to 150 days in county jail. And while he was freed days later after mounting an appeal, December 2023 saw his bid for an appeal denied. All of which left the matter in limbo.
However, that all changed today (November 21) when his conviction was formally overturned.
The court’s opinion was shared in the Chicago Tribune. It read:
“We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust. Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the State was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied.”
Per the ruling, Smollett’s deal with Cook County prosecutors – a deal that saw the original case against him dropped – had to be honored.
Some will recall that State Attorney Kim Fox struck a plea deal with the star, requiring him to forfeit his $10,000 bond and do 15 hours of volunteer community service.
In simple terms, the ruling today declares that a second prosecution should not have taken place as Smollett had held up his end of the original bargain and did even more hours of community service than required.
Because of that, the conviction that sent him to jail has been overturned and no further action will be pursued.
