Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Conviction against Jussie Smollett

On Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned a 2021 disorderly conduct conviction against actor Jussie Smollett on charges related to him faking a homophobic and racist hate crime in Chicago during 2019.

The Details: Smollett falsely claimed two men assaulted him while saying he was in “MAGA country” and tossed a noose around his neck. The hoax led to a search for the perpetrators by Chicago police until they believed the attack was faked. Two men later testified that Smollet paid them $3,500 to stage the attack. Smollett reached a deal with the Cook County State Attorney’s Office, under Attorney Kim Foxx, in which charges would be dropped for community service and the forfeiture of his $10,000 bond. 

For Context: The agreement led to backlash online, including then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling it “a whitewash of justice.” Later, a grand jury re-established the charges after a special prosecutor took on the case. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a special prosecutor should not charge Smollet after Smollet’s charges had already been dropped. 

How the Media Covered It: AP News (Left Bias) provided the most details about the case and its controversy. It also included a quote from Smollett's attorney who said Smollet was relieved and disappointed to have been “dragged through an unfair process.” It also quoted the special prosecutor who claimed the ruling was unjust and Attorney Kim Foxx defending the decision. Fox News (Right Bias) quoted the decision followed by several figures critical of the ruling. Smollett’s attorneys were quoted in one paragraph, while those critical of the ruling were quoted for seven paragraphs. BBC (Center) provided a brief explanation of the case focusing on why it was overturned and a quote from the state Supreme Court saying it would be “unjust” to convict Smollet.