How Jussie Smollett’s overturned conviction is similar to Bill Cosby’s

The criminal cases of actors Jussie Smollett and Bill Cosby, both Black, high-profile entertainers found guilty before their convictions were overturned, differ widely in details but share some parallels.

The criminal cases of actors Jussie Smollett and Bill Cosby, both Black, high-profile entertainers found guilty before their convictions were overturned, differ widely in details but share some parallels. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday referenced a key similarity between the cases – violation of both of the men’s due process rights – in its opinion, deciding Smollett’s hate-crime hoax conviction should be dismissed as a result of prosecutorial issues. Pennsylvania’s highest court vacated Cosby’s 2018 conviction on sexual assault charges for similar reasons. “The initial agreements made by the original prosecutors, later disregarded by their successors under public pressure, created a breach of trust that certainly spoiled their respective proceedings,” Brett M. Rosen, a New Jersey-based criminal defense attorney, told CNN. “Ultimately, this led to overturning of their convictions, as the courts recognized the inherent injustice in prosecuting individuals based on shifting promises, external influences and public opinion,” Rosen said. Neither Smollett nor Cosby can be retried on the charges.