Jussie Smollett’s 2021 conviction for staging a hate crime against himself has been overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court. The actor and former Empire star had faced legal consequences after he was found guilty of falsely reporting a hate crime in 2019. Smollett had claimed that two men attacked him, shouting racist and homophobic slurs, and even hung a noose around his neck. However, during the investigation, it was revealed that Smollett had paid two brothers $3,500 to stage the attack.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the state violated due process by prosecuting Smollett again after an earlier dismissal of the charges, which had been part of an agreement made with the defendant. This ruling does not, however, dispute the evidence that Smollett orchestrated the hoax or his previous conviction.
Smollett had served only six days of a 150-day sentence before the Supreme Court’s decision. The court’s decision came after an extensive legal battle, with the special prosecutor, Dan Webb, noting that the ruling “does not address Smollett’s innocence” but rather the legality of the prosecution process itself.
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