Illinois appeals court to hear arguments on Jussie Smollett request to toss convictions

By MICHAEL TARM
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois appeals court will hear oral arguments Tuesday that the panel should toss Jussie Smollett’s convictions for staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself and then lying about it to Chicago police. If the appeal fails, the actor would have to finish a 150-day stint in jail that his trial judge ordered he serve during his 2022 sentencing. A ruling is expected to take several weeks. Among the arguments in the written appeal from Smollett’s lawyers is that his 2021 trial violated Fifth Amendment protections against being punished for the same crime twice. It says he already performed community service and forfeited a $10,000 bond as part of a 2019 deal with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to drop initial charges.