Jussie Smollett’s legal journey took a dramatic turn as his conviction has been overturned. The Illinois Supreme Court made this landmark decision in Smollett’s favor on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,” Justice Elizabeth Rochford wrote in the ruling. “Specifically, we address whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution when the dismissal was entered as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has performed his part of the bargain. We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse the defendant’s conviction.”
The former Empire star, 42, had previously faced conviction for allegedly orchestrating what was reported as a racist and homophobic attack in 2019. Smollett, who identifies as gay, had reported being attacked by two individuals in Chicago. The situation later flipped when authorities accused him of fabricating the incident, leading to his arrest and felony disorderly conduct charges for filing a false police report.
In a twist of events, while initial charges against Smollett were dropped, a special prosecutor later brought new charges, suggesting that Smollett was aware “that he was not the victim of a crime.” Throughout this ordeal, Smollett maintained his innocence and entered a not guilty plea.
Read more at Page Six
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