Jussie Smollett Heading To Illinois Supreme Court As He Appeals Hate Crime Hoax Conviction
The former āEmpireā star Jussie Smollett is appealing his 2021 conviction on charges related to him staging a hate crime against himself, and the Illinois Supreme Court is set to hear his case.
Illinois Supreme Court To Hear Smollettās Case
The Associated Press reported that the Illinois Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to hear Smollettās case. No date has been set as to when this will actually happen, however.
Smollett had filed a petition last month requesting that the Illinois high court intervene in his ongoing legal drama after his conviction for a staged hate crime was upheld by an Illinois appeals court back in December.
He had previously been found guilty on five of the six charges of disorderly conduct after a nearly two-week trial in 2021.
Related: Jussie Smollett Returns To Court To Appeal Conviction For Lying About Hate Crime
Smollett Allegedly Stages Hate Crime
This came after Smollett, who is black and openly gay, claimed in January of 2019 that he was jumped in Chicago by two men wearing ski masks. He claimed that the men hurled racial and homophobic attacks on him while also shouting āthis is MAGA country.ā After police investigated Smollettās claims, however they concluded that he had staged the hate crime against himself by hiring two Nigerian brothers to attack him in the hopes of securing himself a higher salary on āEmpire.ā
After being found guilty, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months felony probation, and ordered to pay restitution to the city of Chicago in the amount of $120,106 as well as a fine of $25,000. Smollett ultimately only served six days in jail before he was freed pending his appeal, according to Komo News.
Now, however, Smollett wants this conviction overturned.
āWhat should have been a straightforward case has been complicated by the intersection of politics and public outrage,āĀ Smollettās attorneys said in a February filing, according to Fox News.
Related: Jussie Smollett Likely Heading Back To Prison As Conviction Is Upheld By Illinois Appeals Court
Appeals Court Upholds Smollettās Conviction
Unfortunately for Smollett, an Illinois appeals court upheld his conviction back in December.
āHere, the Stateās nolle prosequi of the indictment was not a final disposition of the case,ā the court said, according to CNN.
āTherefore, the State was not barred from re-prosecuting Smollett,ā the court continued. āAfter the nolle prosequi was entered, Smollett was free to go without entering into a recognizance to appear at any other time, which is the bargain Smollett made.ā
Special Prosecutor Dan. K. Webb praised the appeals court for upholding the decision.
āAs the appellate court noted, Mr. Smollett āchallenge[d] virtually every aspect ofā the prosecution, and the appellate court correctly rejected each and every one of those challenges,ā Webb said. āTodayās decision is a validation of Winston & Strawnās tireless work on this matter and a resounding victory for justice.ā
āWe are proud to have prevailed in a case that, we believe, can help restore the publicās confidence in the Cook County justice system,ā he continued.
Many feel that Smollett tried to play off the racial and political divides in this country for his own personal gain. It can only be hoped that the Illinois Supreme Court upholds Smollettās conviction, and that he finally has to serve out the full jail sentence that he deserves.
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