Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Jussie Smollett’s Convictions In Controversial Hate Crime Case

In a dramatic turn of events, the Illinois Supreme Court has overturned the convictions of Jussie Smollett, the actor previously found guilty of staging a hate crime in 2019. The court ruled on November 21, that Jussie’s rights were violated when a special prosecutor pursued charges after the Cook County State’s Attorney had already dropped them.

The case has been one of the most polarizing in recent years. Jussie, who is Black and openly gay, claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in January 2019. However, prosecutors alleged that the former Empire star staged the attack, paying brothers Abimbola “Bola” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo $3,500 each to participate.

Initially, Jussie was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct, but the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped the charges, citing his forfeiture of bond and community service work. The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics arguing that justice hadn’t been served.

In 2020, a special prosecutor reopened the case, and Jussie was tried on six counts of disorderly conduct. Convicted on five counts in 2021, he was sentenced to 150 days in jail but was released while he appealed the decision.

In overturning the convictions, the Illinois Supreme Court highlighted concerns about fairness. “We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust. Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the State was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied,” the court’s opinion reads.

Special prosecutor Dan Webb expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating, “Make no mistake — today’s ruling has nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence. The Illinois Supreme Court did not find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial that Mr. Smollett orchestrated a fake hate crime and reported it to the Chicago Police Department as a real hate crime, or the jury’s unanimous verdict that Mr. Smollett was guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct,” he stated.

Jussie’s attorney, Nenye Uche, celebrated the court’s decision, calling it a victory for justice. “This was not a prosecution based on facts, rather it was a vindictive persecution and such a proceeding has no place in our criminal justice system. Ultimately, we are pleased that the rule of law was the big winner today. We are thankful to the Illinois Supreme Court for restoring order to Illinois’ criminal law jurisprudence,” Nenye stated.

Jussie has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal. Speaking to PEOPLE in September, he reflected on the incident, saying, “I was numb. I didn’t know how to connect the dots. I really genuinely did not know. I couldn’t make sense of what was going on, and I couldn’t make sense of what people were actually thinking … what exactly do they think happened? I couldn’t put two and two together.”