https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-jussie-smollett-sealed-court-records-20190523-story.html
Cook County judge Thursday ordered the case file in the aborted prosecution of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett unsealed, marking a victory for the Chicago Tribune and other news organizations and adding another twist to a case with seemingly no end to controversy.
After news organizations sought to unseal the records, Smollett’s legal team opposed the request, citing the actor’s privacy rights.
But Circuit Judge Steven Watkins held that those privacy rights had been trumped by Smollett and his attorneys going before the cameras to declare his innocence.
“These are not the actions of a person seeking to maintain his privacy or simply be let alone,” Watkins said in a 10-page ruling that he read aloud in court. “While the court appreciates that (Smollett) was in the public eye before the events that precipitated this case, it was not necessary for him to address this so publicly and to such an extent. By doing so, the court cannot credit his privacy interest as good cause to keep the case records sealed.”
After the ruling came down, reporters waited for several hours in the circuit court clerk’s office — which maintains the criminal records — for the documents in the case to be scanned. In the end, however, little new was revealed — not surprising since Foxx’s office had abruptly dropped the 16-count indictment against Smollett just less than three weeks after he was charged. In fact, the majority of the 192-page file consisted of the media’s motions objecting to the sealing of the file in the first place.
But the judge’s ruling still could have a significant impact. The Chicago Police Department and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office had both denied public records requests on the grounds that the file was sealed. After the seal was lifted, Foxx’s office said it was reviewing its records and expected to release more documents by June 3.
What does NS think of this? I'm pretty glad to see it. The treatment of the Smollett case was a classic example of our two tier justice system that protects the politically connected.
