Jussie Smollett Accuses Prosecutors of Racism, Requests New Trial or For Guilty Verdicts to Be Thrown Out

Sentencing is set to take place on March 10 for former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, after being found guilty near the beginning of December of five of six counts of lying to the police and staging a fake hate crime.

Prior to that, however, Smollett has now gone on the offensive by accusing the prosecutors of racism and requesting either a new trial or for the guilty verdicts to be thrown out.

Smollett claims in new legal documents filed by his defense team that the court violated his constitutional rights when it prevented his defense team from actively participating in the jury selection process.

Not only that, but Smollett claims his lawyers were not allowed to ask questions of potential jurors and his defense claims the jury pool for the high-profile case was tainted.

Smollett also is claiming prosecutors showed a pattern of racism in selecting jurors.

Additionally, Smollett’s defense also claims the judge wrongfully barred the media and public from the courtroom and that prosecutors pressured witnesses to give false testimony.

The documents also reportedly claim that the judge wrongfully limited the defense questioning of witnesses.

In a Friday ruling, Judge James Linn ruled that cameras would be allowed in the courtroom for the sentencing.

Linn wrote that he believes “There is no good cause to continue to deny extended media coverage for post-trial proceedings.”

Smollett’s attorneys had objected to cameras being allowed at sentencing, but Steven Mandell, an attorney representing a group of media outlets, asked Linn to reconsider that ruling.