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Jussie Smollett will have his day in court over his appeal of his criminal conviction — in fact, he’ll be able to make his case in front of the highest court in the land … of Illinois, that is.
The actor just scored a huge W Wednesday — ’cause the Supreme Court of Illinois ticked his case off as one they are open to hearing … in other words, his appeal to the State Supreme Court is approved, and the justices for this court will weigh in on this saga once and for all.
1/29/2019
Remember, Jussie has been appealing his conviction pretty much ever since it came down way back in 2021 … when a jury found him guilty of lying to cops about a hate crime he claimed he’d been victim to.
3/10/22
WGN
Jussie was defiant after the verdict came in — and while he was sentenced to 150 days in jail … JS only served 6 days behind bars before he was sprung as his appeal worked its way through the court system.
3/16/22
Fox 32 Chicago
There were some ups and downs before this big decision … as we reported, he was handed a loss in an Illinois appeals court when he first asked them to look over the case, with a 3-judge panel upholding the conviction and finding that the jury was justified in their decision.
Of course … Jussie appealed that decision, throwing a Hail Mary in hopes that the Illinois Supreme Court would hear him out — and now, they’ve signaled they’re willing to do that.
You’ll recall … Jussie’s whole argument here on why his conviction should be tossed is based on his claim that he had a deal with the prosecutors who were first handling his case, which he says explicitly stated he wouldn’t be prosecuted if he signed up for their terms.
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At the time, all Jussie was asked to do was forfeit a bond he’d paid … and do community service — and he says he’s upheld his end of that bargain. Afterward, though, a special prosecutor came aboard and put him under the gun again … which Jussie calls BS.
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The special prosecutor, however, said the deal Jussie thought he’d struck with the previous team did not, in fact, protect him from further charges … and he also argued double jeopardy doesn’t apply in this case. It’s all very technical, but the special prosecutor was asking the State Supreme Court to reject his bid.
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Now, though … it’s clear they find some merit in Jussie’s argument — enough to hear the whole thing out at least. Jussie has been able to avoid going back to jail through this whole appeal process … and he’s been doing a lot in the meantime, including working on himself.
