THE JUICE IS FREE AT LAST! Jussie Smollet Has Had His Conviction Overturned By The Illinois Supreme Court
WGN - The Illinois Supreme Court has reversed the conviction of actor Jussie Smollett.
The former “Empire” actor took his case to the Illinois Supreme Court in September in a last-ditch effort to have his 2021 conviction overturned.
A statement from the IL Supreme Court on Thursday said: “Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants. Specifically, we address whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution when the dismissal was entered as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has performed his part of the bargain. We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse defendant’s conviction.”
Smollett was convicted of falsely reporting a 2019 hate crime against him. Smollett, who is Black and gay, alleged his attackers shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him before putting a noose around his neck on a Chicago street.
America: the land of the free, the home of the brave, and apparently, the country where you can stage your own hate crime, get caught red-handed, and still walk away like a Hollywood star who just wrapped the final take of a feel-good movie.
This is jus another example of why this is the greatest country in the world right here.
I'm pretty sure if you tried to pull what Jussie pulled in any of the countries we send billions of dollars a year in aid to, your head would be on a spike being paraded through the streets.
But here? Jussie is the victim of a wrongful conviction that his attorney made sure to remind everybody of today.
Yah buddy, you know what? You're 1000% correct. It WAS a prosecution NOT based on facts.
Because your client is a flat-out liar.
Forget about the fact that this is a complete non-issue had Jussie not got the bright idea to try to fabricate a racist hate crime and publicize it for clout and fame. It's not like the state went after a guy for minding his own business.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, (or just wisely avoiding Chicago news), here’s the CliffsNotes version. Back in 2019, Jussie Smollett claimed he was attacked by two MAGA-hat-wearing goons who doused him in bleach, tied a noose around his neck, and threw out every slur in the bigot handbook. The only problem? The attackers turned out to be a couple of Nigerian brothers Smollett paid $3,500 to stage the whole thing. You know, your classic “it’s 2 a.m., I’m craving Subway, let’s fake a hate crime” scenario.
I actually had dinner with these two at La Scarola a couple years back and heard the story straight out of their mouths.
Fast forward to 2021: Smollett is convicted of disorderly conduct, sentenced to 150 days in jail, and ordered to pay over $130,000 in restitution. But America, in all its glory, decided that serving six days was punishment enough. Why? Because, according to the Illinois Supreme Court, honoring a sketchy deal made with prosecutors trumps, well, literally everything else. Due process, baby!
Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months of probation, and ordered to pay more than $130,000 in restitution. So far, he has served six days of that sentence.
According to the ruling’s conclusion, the Illinois Supreme Court cited Bill Cosby’s case as one that also generated “significant public interest.” The court went on to allude to Smollett’s original charges being dropped and said while “many people” were dissatisfied with that — it “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 detrimentally relied.”
In addition to the aforementioned public interest, Cosby’s case was cited from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania regarding enforcing a prosecutorial promise not to prosecute.
“It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes. It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated. Society’s interest in prosecution does not displace the remedy due to constitutionally aggrieved persons,” the court wrote regarding Cosby.
Here’s the kicker: The Illinois Supreme Court didn’t just let Smollett off the hook- they gave him the Bill Cosby treatment.
Forget accountability. In America, we uphold agreements. Even the shady, eyebrow-raising ones made with prosecutors who probably moonlight as screenwriters for Law & Order: SVU.
Now, before you start getting your panties in a bunch, and asking, “How does this happen?” let me remind you: this is America, where the legal system isn’t about justice, it’s about theatrics. Where else could a guy choreograph his own victimhood, get caught, and still be defended as a victim of systemic injustice? It’s like if Michael Scott from The Office moonlighted as a criminal mastermind.
In this beautiful country, perception is reality, and narratives sell better than facts. Smollett didn’t just play the victim—he became a symbol. Sure, it was a symbol of everything wrong with performative activism, but hey, even bad press is good press, right? And let’s not forget, America loves a good redemption arc. Who’s to say we won’t see Smollett as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars next season?
The real MVP here isn’t Smollett; it’s America’s unmatched commitment to finding loopholes. When the court says, “Hey, the guy had a deal, and deals are sacred,” you’ve got to admire the audacity. Agreements, no matter how questionable, are upheld above all else.
And let’s be honest, there’s something poetic about using Bill Cosby’s legal escape hatch as precedent. It’s like the justice system is a reality TV show where contestants keep finding hidden immunity idols.
At the end of the day, this is why America is the best country in the world. Where else can you orchestrate the wildest scam, go on trial, lose spectacularly, and still walk away a free man because loopholes? It’s chaotic, it’s absurd, and it’s unapologetically American. The system may be broken, but it’s ours, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, here’s to you, Jussie Smollett, living proof that in America, you can fake it till you make it… or at least until the court decides due process matters more than common sense
p.s. - hopeflly we get a follow up track to the first one Jussie did proclaiming his innocence. because if you don't think Jussie is going to be screaming from the heavens that he's been vindicated, than you haven't been paying attention.
p.p.s. -