Judge Denies Jussie Smollett's Motion To Dismiss, Sets Criminal Trial Date

The saga continues…

Source: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty

Former Empire star Jussie Smollett is still on the hook for the attack he reported in January of 2019. According to TMZ, Smollett’s last chance at avoiding court was a request to dismiss the criminal charges against him, but a Cook County judge just shut that down. The actor was hospitalized with a fractured rib after what he described as a “vicious hate crime” by MAGA fanatics who came after him on a Chicago street with bleach and a noose.

A few weeks into the investigation, Smollett was charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the attack himself. Chicago police claimed he paid two men to carry out a hoax. The felony charges were later dropped by Chicago prosecutors in exchange for Smollett performing community service and paying a $10,000 bond. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx received a lot of backlash for that decision and a judge appointed a special prosecutor who filed additional charges in 2020.

Smollett’s attorney, Nenye Uche argued that the six new charges from the special prosecutor violate his rights since he already fulfilled his end of the previous deal that dropped the case against him.

Has anyone gotten in this much trouble for only hurting themselves since Plaxico Burress? Even if Smollett’s own choices earned him a spot in the bag-fumbling hall of fame, the 39-year-old is under more scrutiny than the super shady Chicago officials who used his case for clout.

Chicago’s former mayor Rahm Emmanuel used the Smollett case to improve his image and look tough on crime after covering up the killing of Laquan McDonald and countless others by Chicago police. Somehow after leaving office in disgrace instead of seeking reelection, Emmanuel is a regular on the talk show circuit and on the shortlist for the Biden administration’s appointments to political offices.

Former Police Superintendant Eddie Johnson was hired to clean up Chicago PD after the Laquan McDonald case and a cover-up was exposed. He became a fixture on national news with the Smollett case to tell the world how hard Chicago police work around the clock to solve cases and how seriously they take hate crimes. Johnson lead the charge against Smollett to pay for the manhours and overtime spent on the case, but he soon left office in disgrace just like the former mayor. Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired him for lying about drinking and driving one month before his retirement. A fellow officer came forward and filed a lawsuit against Johnson for years of sexual abuse and harassment.

Somehow, Jussie is still the biggest enemy of the state. Cook County Judge James Linn set the trial to begin on November 29 with jury selection.

Let the circus begin!