The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned Jussie Smollett’s 2021 conviction for staging a fake hate crime against himself in 2019.
Back in January of that year, Smollett told Chicago police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. But soon after, two men claimed they were paid by Smollett to fake the assault, leading to a big legal mess with 16 charges against him.
Initially, prosecutors decided to drop those charges when Smollett agreed to give up his $10,000 bond and do some community service. However, people got upset and in 2021, the case was brought back. This time he ended up with six convictions and a jail sentence of 150 days. After just six days behind bars, he was let out so he could appeal. The Appeals Court sided with the original decision until it reached the Illinois Supreme Court where Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford finally overturned it all. Throughout this whole ordeal, Smollett maintained his innocence.
Fans sometimes wonder how justice can be so complicated!
Nenye Uche, one of Smollett’s lawyers, expressed gratitude saying: “We are thankful to the Illinois Supreme Court for restoring order to Illinois’ criminal law jurisprudence.”
