Illinois Supreme Court overturns Jussie Smollett conviction

The Illinois State Supreme Court has dismissed Jussie Smollett's conviction for lying about a hate crime in a ruling issued Thursday.

In a surprising 5-0 decision, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered the case be dismissed, ruling that an agreement reached between Smollett and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx to drop criminal charges in exchange for a fine and community service should have stood.

The court said in its ruling, "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."