The judges who overturned Jussie Smollett's conviction - and their history of controversial rulings

The Illinois Supreme Court that overturned Jussie Smollett's condemnation today made the 'disappointing' ruling disconnected the backmost of a question of arguable decisions. 

In conscionable the past 2 years, the seven-member tribunal has eliminated currency bail for criminals successful Illinois and upheld a prohibition connected battle weapons successful the state, soft-on-crime rulings that angered conservatives. 

In the former, the justices ruled that monetary bail is not 'the lone means to guarantee transgression defendants look for trials oregon the lone means to support the public', successful a determination seen successful respective different Democrat-led states that has drawn scrutiny.  

The weapons prohibition from August 2023 came arsenic the authorities Supreme Court decided that contempt the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, a prohibition connected battle weapons would not beryllium unconstitutional. 

Although the prohibition received enactment from apical Democrats including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a national justice stepped successful this week and overturned it - arsenic they slammed the tribunal for impacting 'tens of millions of law-abiding United States citizens.' 

Criticism of the Illinois Supreme Court has present reached fever transportation successful the aftermath of its ruling overturning Smollett's condemnation for lying to the constabulary implicit a bizarre anti-Trump hoax. 

The peculiar authoritative successful Smollett's case, U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, told DailyMail.com successful a connection that the ruling wholly ignored the grounds helium presented, and helium was 'disappointed' arsenic it 'had thing to bash with Mr. Smollett's innocence.' 

In Thursday's ruling, the tribunal recovered that the erstwhile 'Empire' histrion had his rights violated by the peculiar prosecutor's determination to retry him aft archetypal charges against him were dropped with an statement that helium would not beryllium re-charged. 

But Webb argued that the authorities Supreme Court misinterpreted the law, and said their ruling had 'upended long-standing Illinois precedent.' 

He noted that the tribunal 'did not find immoderate mistake with the overwhelming grounds presented astatine trial', and that Smollett 'did not adjacent situation the sufficiency of the grounds against him successful his appeal.' 

In particular, helium claimed that erstwhile Smollett's lawsuit was archetypal dismissed, it was 'via a nolle prosequi, which does not barroom re-prosecution nether Illinois law.'  

Webb's connection formed uncertainty connected the court's attack to its rulings, which came astatine the extremity of Smollett's agelong and twisting ineligible saga that began implicit 5 years ago. 

Smollett was convicted successful December 2021 for lying to constabulary astir an alleged occurrence successful Chicago 2 years before, where helium claimed 2 men bushed him, yelled homophobic slurs and placed a noose astir his cervix portion wearing MAGA hats. 

He was sentenced to 150 days successful jailhouse and 30 months' probation aft it was proven that helium made the occurrence up, and helium was besides slapped with a hefty good of $130,160. 

Smollett appealed the ruling and has not yet served a time of that condemnation down bars, adjacent after his condemnation was antecedently affirmed by a little court in 2023 earlier the Supreme Court agreed to perceive his appeal. 

When the Illinois Supreme Court handed down the ruling to overturn that condemnation connected Thursday, Chief Justice Theis and Justice Cunningham recused themselves from the decision. The little did not explicate why. 

The court's sentiment pointed to the statement Smollett had with Illinois prosecutors aft his charges were dropped. 

'We are alert that this lawsuit has generated important nationalist involvement and that galore radical were dissatisfied with the solution of the archetypal lawsuit and believed it to beryllium unjust,' the sentiment read. 

'Nevertheless, what would beryllium much unjust than the solution of immoderate 1 transgression lawsuit would beryllium a holding from this tribunal that the State was not bound to grant agreements upon which radical person detrimentally relied.' 

The actor's hoax and consequent apprehension sparked a media firestorm years ago, arsenic it was recovered that helium had really paid 2 Nigerian brothers - Abel and Ola Osundairo - to signifier the incident. 

When Smollett archetypal came guardant with his story, the histrion was met with wide support, and the Chicago PD vowed to swiftly find his attackers. Smollett adjacent showed constabulary the noose that helium claimed helium was astir lynched with. 

Although Smollett claimed helium was attacked by 2 achromatic Trump supporters, detectives reviewed surveillance footage and zeroed successful connected the Osundairo brothers arsenic suspects. 

When presented with a grainy surveillance representation of the brothers adjacent the scene, Smollett said they were 'absolutely' the men who attacked him, not realizing they had already been arrested. 

One of his attorneys, Tina Glandian, claimed that Smollett whitethorn person misidentified the brothers - who helium had besides conscionable been connected the telephone with moments earlier - because they could person been 'in disguise' successful achromatic makeup. 

She went connected to constituent to a 2016 YouTube video of Abel Osundairo, the member successful question, wherever helium is wearing achromatic make-up to execute a Joker monologue for Halloween arsenic impervious of her theory.

By that time, stories had leaked that detectives believed Smollett had concocted the story, seemingly successful an effort boost his nationalist profile. 

Smollett went connected Good Morning America to tearfully importune helium was the victim, but by February 2019, a period aft the incident, helium was arrested and charged with filing a mendacious constabulary report, and his quality from Empire was halted. 

However, contempt a expansive assemblage indicting him for repeatedly lying to cops, the charges against Smollett were past sensationally dropped a period aboriginal successful March, sparking outrage from the public. 

President Trump led the backlash arsenic helium decried the charges being dropped arsenic an 'embarrassment to the nation', while Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson, who is Black, said astatine the time: 'Jussie Smollett took vantage of the symptom and choler of racism to beforehand his career.' 

The Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, amounted it to a 'whitewash of justice' that proved Smollett was treated mildly by the strategy due to the fact that helium is simply a personage and a salient fig successful the city. 

After helium was fined $140,000 for wasting constabulary resources, a peculiar authoritative was named to analyse wherefore the charges against Smollett were dropped. 

It was this determination that has present led to Smollett's eventual condemnation to beryllium overturned this week, arsenic it was recovered his rights were violated because Smollett had agreed with prosecutors that helium would not beryllium re-charged astatine the clip aft the lawsuit against him was dropped. 

In February 2020 Smollett was indicted again connected felony lying to police, and pursuing a contentious proceedings wherever helium maintained his innocence, Smollett was convicted astatine the decision of his proceedings successful 2021. 

Smollett again sparked backlash during his condemnation hearing, arsenic helium triumphantly raised his fist to look defiant, contempt being caught successful a lie.