Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Jussie Smollett's Conviction, Citing Due Process Violation

Nov 21, 2024, 04:42 PM

The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the conviction of actor Jussie Smollett for staging a hate crime against himself in 2019. The court ruled that prosecutors improperly charged Smollett a second time after the initial charges were dismissed by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office, violating his due process rights. Smollett was accused of paying $3,500 to two brothers, whom he knew from the TV show 'Empire,' to stage the attack and lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic assault. The court stated that the state must honor agreements made with defendants, referencing the Bill Cosby case. Special Prosecutor Dan Webb said, "Today’s ruling has nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence." Smollett had been convicted in December 2021 of five felony counts of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 150 days in jail, serving six days before being released pending appeal.