Jussie Smollett Says His Constitutional Rights Were Violated

Just ahead of Jussie Smollett’s sentencing following his guilty conviction of staging a fake hate crime, it appears the former Empire star and his legal team are seeking a new trial.

Per Complex, Smollett asked a judge on Friday to reverse his previous ruling citing claims that his constitutional rights were violated during his initial trial. He and his legal team allege that they were “blocked from participating in the jury selection process” and that “prosecutors showed a pattern of racism in selecting jurors.” They also claim that the prosecutorial team participated in acts intended to sway witnesses into providing “false testimony” during the trial, though no specific instance was referenced. Read The Story