The former “Empire” 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 Smollett’s Case
The Associated Press reported that the Illinois Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to hear Smollett’s 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 “this is MAGA country.” After police investigated Smollett’s 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 “Empire.”
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.
“What should have been a straightforward case has been complicated by the intersection of politics and public outrage,” Smollett’s 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 Smollett’s Conviction
Unfortunately for Smollett, an Illinois appeals court upheld his conviction back in December.
“Here, the State’s nolle prosequi of the indictment was not a final disposition of the case,” the court said, according to CNN.
“Therefore, the State was not barred from re-prosecuting Smollett,” the court continued. “After 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.”
Special Prosecutor Dan. K. Webb praised the appeals court for upholding the decision.
“As the appellate court noted, Mr. Smollett ‘challenge[d] virtually every aspect of’ the prosecution, and the appellate court correctly rejected each and every one of those challenges,” Webb said. “Today’s decision is a validation of Winston & Strawn’s tireless work on this matter and a resounding victory for justice.”
“We are proud to have prevailed in a case that, we believe, can help restore the public’s confidence in the Cook County justice system,” 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 Smollett’s conviction, and that he finally has to serve out the full jail sentence that he deserves.
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