Jussie Smollett asks Illinois high court to hear appeal of convictions for lying about hate crime
Actor Jussie Smollett has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to intervene in his yearslong legal battle stemming from charges that he staged a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied about it to Chicago police
CHICAGO (AP) — Actor Jussie Smollett has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to intervene in his yearslong legal battle stemming from charges that he staged a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied about it to Chicago police.
His petition, filed Monday, asks the state's highest court to hear the case two months after an appeals court upheld his disorderly conduct convictions and sentence. In 2021, a jury convicted the “Empire” actor on five felony counts of disorderly conduct, a charge that can be filed in Illinois when a person is accused of lying to police.
He was sentenced to five months in jail, but was released pending appeal of his conviction and sentence. Smollett has maintained his innocence.
The state Supreme Court could take the case or let the lower court's decision stand.
