Jussie Smollett’s conviction for orchestrating a hate crime hoax has been overturned.
The Illinois Supreme Court reversed the decision on Thursday due to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx initially dropping all charges against him before the special prosecutor decided to retry him, Page Six confirmed.
This choice violated his rights, the high court ruled.
“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,” the justices wrote in their opinion.
“Nevertheless,” the court docs continued, “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.”
In an additional statement, Smollett’s lawyer, Nenye Uche, wrote, “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.”
The actor, 42, was convicted on five felony counts in December 2021, two years after he staged a hate crime.
Smollett claimed in 2019 that masked Donald Trump supporters attacked him, pouring bleach on him and wrapping a noose around his neck.
The Chicago Police Department did not find any evidence of such an attack at the time.
He subsequently struck a plea deal with Foxx to forfeit his $10,000 bond and complete 15 community service hours — which he did complete.
Smollet, however, was hit with federal charges and sentenced to 150 days in county jail in March 2022 —only to be released early as his lawyers worked on appealing the decision.
He repeatedly denied any wrongdoing that year, from his “Sway in the Morning” interview to his “Thank You God” song release.
Smollett also continued working, directing Vivica A. Fox’s “Lost Holliday” film that came out this past September.
In October 2023, news broke that he had entered outpatient rehab treatment after wrapping a movie.
“It’s something he’s been wanting to do for years,” a source told Page Six at the time, with Smollett’s rep praising him for the “necessary” decision.
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