Grasping at straws

Jussie Smollett's legal team have filed documents to request a new trial unless the judge reverses the verdict and finds him not guilty of disorderly conduct for faking the police report, according to TMZ.

The actor requested the new trial two months after he was found guilty by the jurors of five of the six felony charges against him.

The outlet reported that Jussie claimed his constitutional rights were violated after his legal team was blocked from participating in the juror selection process.

Jussie claimed that prosecutors portrayed a pattern of racism in their juror selections, TMZ reported.

In addition, he claims his defense team weren't allowed to pose questions to the potential jurors as well as alleging the pool was 'tainted.'

He also alleged that the prosecutors pressured the witnesses to give 'false testimony' and limited his defense team from questions all of the witnesses.

Jussie's legal team claimed that the judge barring the public and media from the courtroom was 'wrongful.'

Jussie was convicted last month for lying to police about a racist, homophobic attack that authorities said he staged, will return to court for sentencing March 10.

Cook County Judge James Linn set the sentencing date in Chicago for the former Empire actor, who told the judge he was in New York, during a hearing on Zoom.

Smollett was found guilty by a jury Dec. 9 of five felony counts of disorderly conduct under a subsection of the law that prohibits making false reports to police. He was acquitted on a sixth count.

Smollett, who is black and gay, maintained throughout the nearly three-year legal battle that he was attacked in downtown Chicago in January 2019 by people who yelled racist and anti-gay slurs and put a noose around his neck. He denied during the trial that he staged the attack.

While the charges carry a possible sentence of three years in prison, legal experts have said Smollett is unlikely to get prison time for the low-level felonies, and is more likely to be sentenced to probation and ordered to perform community service.

Meanwhile, lawsuits that were on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case may now move forward. They include a lawsuit the city of Chicago filed against Smollett to recoup over $130,000 it spent investigating what police initially believed was a terrible hate crime.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx repeatedly misled the public about her office's handling of the Jussie Smollett case and was responsible for 'a major failure of operations' in dismissing charges against the Empire actor, a special prosecutor's damning report states.

The 68-page confidential report detailing missteps and multiple instances of false statements made by Foxx and her prosecutors in the initial investigation of Smollett was released after a judge ruled that it should be made public.

Some of the office’s actions may be violations of legal ethics, special prosecutor Dan Webb concluded. He said Foxx and others in her office did nothing criminal.

The report includes findings by Webb, who took over the case after Foxx dropped charges against Smollett in March 2019.

^^^^Apparently juicy’s stupidity knows no bounds.

I’d suggest taking y our lump and moving on.

quote:

I’d suggest taking y our lump and moving on.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
His attorney is a total idiot. The prosecutor did a great job.

He's less than two weeks away from sentencing and he wants a new trial.

This cat is sweating bullets.

He has no shame, no sense whatsoever of personal responsibility, no integrity, no honesty.

He deserves jail time, plain and simple.

The guy is just plain delusional surrounded by a delusional family that reinforces this nonsense.

They “need” the golden goose to keep laying…

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
He's less than two weeks away from sentencing and he wants a new trial.

Yeah, less than two weeks away from sentencing that's expected to get him no more than probation and community service, yet now, he thinks, is a good time to annoy the court with more stupidity.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
He deserves jail time, plain and simple.

As did the Detroit, Michigan lawmaker that committed several imprison-able offences (you or I would certainly have been incarcerated for the same behavior), yet got off essentially scot-free.

But they're both PoC. They're both "somebody." One has the bonus of being gay. So free rides.

I've you've ever dealt with a real narcissist - not just an asshole, but a real honest to god narcissist - this is not surprising.

They are never wrong, they lie constantly, and they never stop lying even when they get caught lying.

If his claims that his defense team weren’t allowed to participate in jury selection, that is a problem. Most states provide juries be chosen from the community at random, and a defendant is entitled to a certain number of peremptory challenges by rules of court and challenges for cause. The defendant and counsel shall participate in the selection process. If the Judge didn’t allow this, it is a due process violation of Federal and State rights, and an appeals court will set the verdict aside, or enter a judgement for new trial. If what is reported is true it’s a major screw up.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
But they're both PoC. They're both "somebody." One has the bonus of being gay. So free rides.

You don't know that and you guys need to stop trying to get ahead of the verdict and predict the worst. I recall people saying he wouldn't be found guilty. Well, he was, and all those dire predictions helped nothing. He's been convicted of five felonies. I'd hardly call that a free ride.

quote:

Originally posted by spunk639:
If his claims that his defense team weren’t allowed to participate in jury selection, that is a problem. Most states provide juries be chosen from the community at random, and a defendant is entitled to a certain number of peremptory challenges by rules of court and challenges for cause. The defendant and counsel shall participate in the selection process. If the Judge didn’t allow this, it is a due process violation of Federal and State rights, and an appeals court will set the verdict aside, or enter a judgement for new trial. If what is reported is true it’s a major screw up.

No it is not, it is crap made up by his defense team because they weren't allowed to ask inappropriate questions of potential jurors, just like the prosecutor. This is the after verdict advanced legal strategy of "throw a bunch of mud in the air and hope it sticks or distracts people enough".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jsbcody,

I know Judge Linn. Been in his court room many times. There is no way in the world he would allow anything such as that alleged in the complaint to occur.

Yes, the bottom line: Juicy's goose is cooked.

I cannot wait for March 10th. Whether or not this lying, whining, arrogant, entitled, self-centered child gets actual jail time, I will celebrate when sentence is handed down. Never did he imagine it would come to this, and the fact that it has is the very best part.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
I've you've ever dealt with a real narcissist - not just an asshole, but a real honest to god narcissist - this is not surprising.

They are never wrong, they lie constantly, and they never stop lying even when they get caught lying.

I have dealt with a real narcissist and I can attest to the behavior you cite above as being accurate.

Old Jessie is a multiple time FELON!! Just let that soak in.

quote:

Originally posted by Broadside:

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
I've you've ever dealt with a real narcissist - not just an asshole, but a real honest to god narcissist - this is not surprising.

They are never wrong, they lie constantly, and they never stop lying even when they get caught lying.

I have dealt with a real narcissist and I can attest to the behavior you cite above as being accurate.

Same here . When presented with the facts , he would just change his lie , making himself look like a fool . But he never admitted to being wrong , Ever .

Judge allows cameras at Jussie Smollett sentencing

Tick tock, you fraud. One week

Hey, you like being in the spotlight, don't you, Juicy? Here's your last chance. You'd better grab it.

Nobody believes his lies, even when he invoked the ultimate boogeyman of the left- Trump supporters. When the usual race-baiting suspects are quiet on the subject of a minority complaining about racism, you are toast. The only “celebrities” that are backing him up are nobodies. Keep doubling down Juicy; in fact, have a tantrum in open court and piss off the judge. That would be an even better gambit.

Oh, Juicy! The horse shit they're spreading for you, baby! We'll find out tomorrow afternoon, you delicate motherfucker!

Juicy is delicate!

As actor Jussie Smollett prepares to face sentencing on Thursday for his conviction for orchestrating a hate crime hoax against himself, many supporters have written letters asking the judge to show him lenience and keep him out of prison.

Smollett's sentencing hearing is set for Thursday afternoon, but first his attorneys will try to convince the judge in the case to overturn his conviction or grant him a new trial – a longshot request that is routinely made in criminal cases, but rarely granted.

In December, a Cook County jury found Smollett guilty of five of six counts of disorderly conduct, while acquitting him of the sixth count. Prosecutors had charged Smollett with staging a fake racist and homophobic attack against himself in January 2019, and then lying to police about it, in a bid for publicity.

The disorderly conduct charges are class 4 felonies, carrying a sentence of up to three years in prison. Smollett is free on bond as he awaits sentencing, and many of Smollett's supporters have written letters to Judge James Linn, asking him to consider sentencing Smollett to probation or some other alternative to prison.

Among those asking Linn to show lenience are NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, actress Alfre Woodard, and actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife and fellow actress LaTanya Jackson.

"Jussie has already suffered. He has been excoriated and vilified in the court of public opinion. His professional reputation has been severely damaged. He has suffered lost career opportunities and loss of income, and there are a number of people who rely on Jussie for financial support," Rev. Jackson wrote.

The letters focus on Smollett's lack of a felony criminal history, the non-violent nature of his conviction, his lengthy history of volunteer work and charitable donations, and the impact the case already has had a career.

"It would be an understatement to say that an inordinate amount of attention has been given to Mr. Smollett's case. This case involves no drugs, no theft, no sex, no property damage, and no physical injury to anyone other than the defendant. Despite the attention paid to it by the media, at its heart, this case involves a low-level, non-violent offense. We urge the Court to keep this truth in mind when sentencing Mr. Smollett," Johnson wrote. "By way of background, Mr. Smollett has an extensive history in civil rights advocacy and philanthropy. Mr. Smollett personally donated more than a half million dollars to Black organizations."

Johnson also outlined a number of Smollett's charitable acts over the years, including surprising a 6-year-old double amputee with a wheelchair accessible van, and helping raise $8 million for Bennett College, an all-women's Historical Black College and University that was on the brink of losing accreditation in 2018.

"In short, Mr. Smollett has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to helping others. We believe that incarcerating Mr. Smollett would be solely punitive and would serve no purpose," Johnson wrote. "Mr. Smollett does not pose, nor has he ever posed, a threat to anyone. Thus, we respectfully ask that, assuming the Court is inclined to sentence Mr. Smollett to anything other than a monetary fine or a suspended sentence, the Court sentence Mr. Smollett to probation and mandatory community service."

In echoing the call for lenience for Smollett, Woodard called Smollett "an exceptionally kind human being,"

"Some conscientious people reach out to those without access after they achieve success in their given fields. Jussie has been a compassionate presence and advocate for those without means since he was a boy. His dedicated work as an artist brought him success, and allowed him to bring his natural impulse to be of assistance into an even wider field of effectiveness. Jussie has kept his heart, his wallet and his schedule wide open to those suffering among us," she wrote.

Smollett's supporters also expressed fears for his safety if he is sent to prison.

"I am deeply concerned about the physical safety of a well-known, nonviolent, black, gay man with Jewish heritage who may be incarcerated within the U.S. prison system," Rev. Jackson wrote.

CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller has said it's unlikely Smollett would be sentenced to significant time in prison, if any, despite previously pleading no contest to charges he lied to police by giving his brother's name during a DUI arrest in California.

"So he's not really a first-time offender. So when this case comes down to sentencing in a month or so from now, the judge is going to have a pre-sentence report by a probation officer, which lays out his entire background -- the good stuff, the bad stuff -- and decide whether or not he should get probation. And, frankly, under Illinois law, for a class 4 felony, there's a presumption that he should get probation," Miller said shortly after Smollett's conviction.

Unlike his trial, the public will be able to watch Smollett's sentencing hearing as it happens, as Judge Linn has granted a request for cameras to be in court for Thursday's proceedings.

quote:

We believe that incarcerating Mr. Smollett would be solely punitive and would serve no purpose," Johnson wrote.

Sometimes, Mr Johnson, that is exactly the point.

Yeah of all the stupid shit said by his supporters, I think that may be the stupidest. Of course it's punitive, dumbass.