On Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court delivered a stunning reversal in the case of Jussie Smollett, who was previously convicted in a contentious hate crime hoax. The actor, renowned for his role in the television series "Empire," faced five felony counts of disorderly conduct stemming from allegations that he orchestrated a hate crime against himself in 2019. In December 2021, he was sentenced to 150 days in county jail, accompanied by 30 months of probation and a restitution order of $130,000. This sentence came after the original charges had been dropped in March 2019, only to be revived following an independent state inquiry led by a special prosecutor.
In December 2023, a state appellate court dismissed Smollett's appeal and upheld the need for him to serve his full sentence, which he partially did—six days before being released pending further appeal. Earlier this year, however, the Illinois Supreme Court granted him a hearing.
In a landmark opinion released on Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the special prosecutor's decision to retry Smollett constituted a violation of his rights. The court acknowledged, "This case has garnered immense public scrutiny, with many questioning the fairness of its initial resolution. Yet, a ruling that fails to uphold agreements, upon which individuals rely to their detriment, would be a gross injustice surpassing any single criminal case outcome."
Back in January 2019, Smollett claimed to have been assaulted outside his Chicago apartment by two individuals who hurled racist and homophobic epithets at him and placed a noose around his neck. An investigation led police to accuse Smollett of paying two acquaintances to stage the attack, culminating in a Class 4 felony charge for filing a false police report. However, in March 2019, all charges were dropped after the Cook County state's attorney reached an agreement with Smollett's defense team, which included community service and forfeiture of a $10,000 bond. Amidst the controversy surrounding the dropped charges, the state of Illinois appointed a special prosecutor, Dan Webb, who re-indicted Smollett in February 2020. The trial against Smollett commenced in November 2021, resulting in his conviction the following month.
Following the reversal of his conviction, Webb clarified in a statement to the press, "Today's ruling does not imply Mr. Smollett's innocence. The Illinois Supreme Court did not find fault with the compelling evidence presented at trial, which demonstrated that Mr. Smollett orchestrated a fake hate crime and reported it as genuine to the Chicago Police Department, nor did it question the jury's unanimous verdict finding him guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct. Notably, Mr. Smollett did not even contest the sufficiency of the evidence against him during his appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court."
In addition to his role in "Empire," Smollett is also recognized for his childhood portrayal in "The Mighty Ducks" and has featured in films like "Alien: Covenant," "Marshall," and television series such as "The Mindy Project" and "Revenge." Despite his legal entanglements, Smollett directed, co-wrote, and starred in the drama "The Lost Holiday" alongside Vivica A. Fox this year.
