WGN – The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned 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 overturn his 2021 conviction.

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 suspects. In particular, we examine whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution when the dismissal was entered into as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has fulfilled his part of the bargain. We believe that a second prosecution under these circumstances would be a violation of due process and we therefore revoke the defendant’s conviction.”

Smollett was convicted of falsely reporting a 2019 hate crime against him. Smollett, who is black and gay, claimed his attackers shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him before wrapping a noose around his neck on a Chicago street.

America: the land of the free, home of the brave, and apparently the land where you can stage your own hate crime, get caught red-handed, and still walk away looking like a Hollywood star who just finished the last cut of a movie completed. feel good movie.

This is just one more example of why this is the largest country in the world.

I’m pretty sure if you tried to do what Jussie did in any of the countries we send billions of dollars in aid to every year, your head would be on a spike that would be paraded through the streets.

But here? Jussie is the victim of a wrongful conviction that his lawyer reminded everyone of today.

Yeah buddy, you know what? You are 1000% right. It was a prosecution that was NOT based on facts.

Because your client is an outright liar.

Forget the fact that this is a complete non-issue if Jussie hadn’t gotten the bright idea to try to make up a racist hate crime and publicize it for the sake of power and fame. It’s not like the state went after someone for minding its own business.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or just avoiding sensible Chicago news), here’s the CliffsNotes version. 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 tossed out every stain in the bigot’s handbook. The only problem? The attackers turned out to be a pair of Nigerian brothers. Smollett paid $3,500 to stage the whole thing. You know, your classic “it’s 2am, I feel like riding the subway, let’s recreate a hate crime” kind of thing.

I had dinner with these two at La Scarola a few years ago and heard the story straight from their mouths.

Fast forward to 2021: Smollett is convicted of disorderly conduct, sentenced to 150 days in jail and ordered to pay more than $130,000 in restitution. But America, in all its glory, decided that serving six days of punishment was enough. Why? Because, according to the Illinois Supreme Court, honoring a shady deal with prosecutors is more important than literally anything 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 called Bill Cosby’s case one that also generated “significant public interest.” The court then hinted at dropping Smollett’s original indictment, saying that while “many people” were dissatisfied with it — it would be “more unjust than the resolution of any criminal case if this court found that the state was not bound by honoring agreements that people harmfully relied on.”

In addition to the aforementioned public interest, Cosby’s case was cited by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court regarding the enforcement of a non-prosecution pledge.

“There is no denying that society has a strong interest in prosecuting crimes. It is also true that such an interest, however important, can never overshadow the interest of society in ensuring respect for the constitutional rights of the people. The public interest in prosecution does not replace the legal remedy afforded to constitutionally injured persons,” the court wrote about 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 liability. In America we stick to agreements. Even the shady, eyebrow-raising movies made with prosecutors likely serving as screenwriters Law and order: SVU.

Now, before you start grabbing your panties in a bunch and asking, “How does this happen?” Let me remind you: this is America, where the justice system is not about justice, it’s about theater. Where else can a man choreograph his own victimhood, get caught, and still be defended as a victim of systemic injustice? It’s like Michael Scott dating The office moonlights as a criminal mastermind.

In this beautiful country, perception is reality, and stories sell better than facts. Smollett didn’t just play the victim, he became a symbol. Sure, it was a symbol of everything that’s wrong with performative activism, but hey, even bad press is good press, right? And let’s not forget that America loves a good redemption arc. Who’s to say we won’t see Smollett as a participant Dancing with the stars next season?

The real MVP here isn’t Smollett; it is America’s unparalleled commitment to finding loopholes. When the court says, “Hey, that guy had a deal, and deals are sacred,” you have to admire the daring. Agreements, no matter how questionable, are respected above all else.

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And let’s be honest: There’s something poetic about using Bill Cosby’s legal escape hatch as a precedent. It’s as if the legal system is a reality TV show where participants keep finding hidden immunity idols.

Ultimately, this is why America is the best country in the world. Where else can you organize the wildest scam, appear in court, lose spectacularly and still walk away a free man because of loopholes in the law? It’s chaotic, absurd and 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 ’til you make it… or at least until the court decides that due process is more important than common sense.

ps – hopefully we get a follow up song to the first song Jussie did where he proclaimed his innocence. Because if you don’t think Jussie is going to scream from heaven that he was right, then you haven’t been paying attention.

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