Jussie Smollett conviction overturned

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The conviction against actor Jussie Smollett in a case that accused him of falsely reporting a hate crime to Chicago police in 2019 has been overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court over prosecutorial issues.

Smollett's case was reviewed by the state high court, which ruled Thursday that the former "Empire" actor should not have been charged after he entered a nonprosecution agreement with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

The judges noted that the case generated "significant public interest" and many felt the case's original resolution was 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 ruling said.

Dan Webb, the special prosecutor who brought the second case against Smollett, said he respectfully disagrees “with the Court’s factual and legal reasoning.” He noted that precedents in Illinois case law did not explicitly preclude a new prosecution after a dismissal without prejudice

Make no mistake—today’s ruling has nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence,” Webb said, noting that his team spent two years developing the case.

Smollett was sentenced in 2022 to 150 days in jail and 30 months’ probation after being found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct.