Quotes
As a child of God, I would have to accept his apology,
Abel said
He won't admit his guilt, and him claiming that he's innocent means that we're lying, and those both can't be true,
Ola saidWith his conviction being overturned, people can now see it, and can see he is not innocent,
he continuedSo the real injustice here was the sweetheart deal he was given by Kim Foxx's office at the beginning of all of this.
Olabinjo addedWe were taken aback initially, not because of the Supreme Court's decision, but because Jussie never admitted guilt
Asked for their response to Thursday's decision, Abel saidHe doesn't need a ton of money,
Hilton said
Today’s decision is only possible because of the unprecedented resolution of Mr. Smollett’s initial case by the Cook County State’s Attorneys’ Office (CCSAO) in March 2019, which the Illinois Supreme Court determined barred Mr. Smollett from any further prosecution,
Webb said in a statementWe hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation and we, therefore, reverse the defendant's conviction,
he saidUnfortunately for Jussie Smollett, this won't do him much good,
Hilton saidSimilar to the Cosby reversal, the DA initially agreed to non-prosecution dismissal in exchange for Smollett giving up his bond money,
Scozzari told Fox News DigitalHe should be making these projects for others to star in and not as vehicles for himself,
he addedJustin Smollett's career has tanked, and I don't see that changing as a result of this outcome,
he saidThe Illinois Supreme Court did not find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial that Mr. Smollett orchestrated a fake hate crime and reported it to the Chicago Police Department as a real hate crime, or the jury’s unanimous verdict that Mr. Smollett was guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct,
Webb said
Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.
President Trump led the backlash as he decried the charges being dropped as an 'embarrassment to the nation', while Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson, who is Black, said at the timeToday’s ruling does not change how deeply proud I am of the work my Special Prosecutor’s office accomplished
Webb concludedMy office spent nearly two years developing evidence and working closely with the Chicago Police Department to prepare that case for trial
Webb continued in his response to the overturningWe are disappointed in the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision today to overturn Jussie Smollett’s convictions and sentence, including the award of over $120,000 in restitution to the City of Chicago for its overtime expenses in investigating Mr. Smollett’s fake hate crime,
Webb said in a statement Thursday after Smollett’s conviction was reversed
This was not a prosecution based on facts, rather it was a vindictive persecution and such a proceeding has no place in our criminal justice system,
Smollett’s attorney, Nenye Uche, said in a statementThe outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words.” ... I am working with authorities and have been 100% factual and consistent on every level.”
In the days after the incident, in early February, he released a statement ... He addedThe thing that really gets me is the fact that there are black and brown women and men behind bars for things they did not do,
he said