Latest news with #IllinoisSupremeCourt
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
Jussie Smollett announces engagement to boyfriend Jabari Redd
The "Empire" alum photos from his proposal to boyfriend Jabari Redd. Smollett shared the moment unfolded just one day before his 43rd birthday celebration. "I'll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé," he wrote in the caption. "He said YES. 💍." The snaps in the post captured the moment Smollett proposed to Redd near a restaurant, from getting down on one knee to slipping the ring on his fiancé's finger. The slideshow ended with joyful shots of the couple celebrating with hugs, laughter and a close-up of the ring. Family and friends later flooded the comment section with love and congratulations. "Screaming with tears of joy," Jussie's little sister and actress Jurnee Smollett wrote. "My whole heart loves both of you @jussiesmollett. Welcome to the family @jabriredd." Their other sister, Jazz Smollett, added, "Yaaaass!!! Welcome to the family Jabari!!! Love y'all!! Sooooo happy for you both! 🥰🥰🥰." The news comes after Smollett recently reached a settlement with the city of Chicago in a civil case related to the city's efforts to recover costs from its investigation into a 2019 incident that authorities claim was a staged hate crime. Smollett has always maintained he is innocent. As part of the agreement, the city dropped its lawsuit in exchange for a $50,000 donation from Smollett to a local arts nonprofit, marking a formal end to the years-long legal battle. In a statement shared on Instagram last month, Smollett said he chose to settle by making a charitable donation, not as an admission of guilt, but to move forward from what he described as a "false narrative" that he said "has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear." "These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do," he said. "Today, it should be clear… They have received neither." He said his decision to settle "was not the most difficult one to make" and announced an additional $10,000 donation to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, saying he stands with others who've had to prove their truth. Meanwhile, the city said in an official statement that the settlement offers "a fair, constructive, and conclusive resolution, allowing all the parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward." In November, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett's 2021 conviction for allegedly filing a false police report about a hate crime in 2019, stating in its decision that the case violated his due process rights and raised questions about the state's obligation to honor agreements made with defendants. In March 2019, Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond to the city and agreed to perform 16 hours of community service as part of an agreement to drop all criminal charges related to the alleged false report, according to then-Cook County first assistant state attorney Joe Magats.
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jussie Smollett reveals he's engaged to actor Jabari Redd: 'He said YES'
Jussie Smollett celebrated his birthday as an engaged man. The former "Empire" star, 43, revealed in an Instagram post that he is engaged to actor Jabari Redd. Smollett shared a gallery of photos showing himself down on one knee and presenting a ring to Redd, who looked elated. "I'll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé … He said YES. 💍," Smollett, who turned 43 on Saturday, June 21, wrote in the caption. Redd has appeared on shows like Showtime's "The Chi" and starred in "The Lost Holliday," a 2024 film directed by and starring Smollett. Smollett's sister Jurnee Smollett celebrated his engagement in the comments of the Instagram post, writing that she was "screaming with tears of joy!" She added that "my whole heart loves both of you" and welcomed Redd "to the family." Smollett's sister Jazz Smollett also commented, "Yaaaass!!! Welcome to the family Jabari!!! Love y'all!! Sooooo happy for you both." Jussie Smollett conviction in hate crime hoax overturned by Illinois Supreme Court The engagement news comes more than six years after Smollett was accused of staging a fake hate crime against himself in 2019. He claimed at the time that he was attacked by men who yelled homophobic slurs at him in Chicago. Jussie Smollett says he has 'to move forward' after alleged hate crime hoax Smollett was charged with lying to police about the attack, and he was convicted of felony disorderly conduct in 2021. But in November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction, determining that he should not have been charged a second time for the same incident after charges against him were initially dropped in 2019. Smollett has repeatedly denied staging the hate crime and has maintained that the attack was real. Smollett reached a civil settlement with the city of Chicago earlier this year, according to NBC News. In a statement released on Instagram, the actor said he would pay $50,000 to a local nonprofit. "What I have to do now is move forward," he said. "I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth." Smollett previously told People magazine in an interview in September 2024, "I've moved on and I know that the world, one day, and it might be long after I'm gone, who knows, but one day the world is going to fix this. I just can't wait for that to happen because I have a life to live. But the world is going to fix it all."
Perth Now
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jussie Smollett engaged
Jussie Smollett is engaged. The 43-year-old 'Empire' actor revealed he proposed to partner Jabari Redd and he 'said yes'. Jussie shared some pictures on Instagram and wrote: 'I'll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé… He said YES.' The series of photos showed a frame-by-frame timeline of how Jussie popped the question on a sidewalk outside a restaurant. His actress sister Jurnee Smollett commented: 'Screaming with tears of joy! My whole heart loves both of you @jussiesmollett. Welcome to the family @jabariredd.' And, their other sister Jazz Smollett, added, 'I was WAITINGGGGGG!!!!!! congratulations you 2‼️‼️ I pray blessings cover you as you've covered each other.' Jussie's 'Empire' co-star Taraji P. Henson wrote: 'My babies.' Meanwhile, back in 2019, Jussie alleged he was the victim of a hate crime. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail in March 2022 after being found guilty of lying about being a victim of a racist and homophobic attack and making a false police report, but his convictions were overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court after his legal team lodged an appeal. Smollett's attorneys claimed that the actor's rights were violated after a special prosecutor decided to retry him, even though the initial charges against him were dropped. Smollett has always maintained his innocence, insisting "there was no hoax" and that he was the target of a hate crime.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to boost legal services to indigent on governor's desk
Jun. 12—Illinois legislators have created a new statewide public defender's office, but it's going to take a while to sort out the details. They put the finishing touches on the "Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation (FAIR) Act" on May 31, the last day the legislature met in its spring session. The bill now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his expected signature. The legislation won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2027, because there are major details to iron out. Champaign County Circuit Judge Randy Rosenbaum, the county's chief judge and former longtime public defender, said he is, generally speaking, "very much in favor" of the idea behind the legislation but distressed by a couple of issues. The legislation "doesn't talk about any money," he said, referring to what he expects will be the massive costs of the bill. Plus, Rosenbaum said, it limits the role of the local presiding judge in selecting a county's chief public defender. For example, Champaign County Public Defender Elisabeth Pollock, a former federal public defender, was named by Rosenbaum to fill the job. But Rosenbaum said the legislation takes local "judges out of the selection process" when they are best situated to determine who is most qualified to be appointed to such an important position. He said it is his understanding the new appointment process was established to insulate the appointed county public defenders from the judiciary. The legislation is motivated by a desire to boost the quality of legal representation for individuals charged with crimes who cannot afford a to hire a lawyer. Many of Illinois' 102 counties have a public defender's office. Those that do not appoint private lawyers to handle cases for the indigent. However, there is concern that public defenders have too many cases to handle in an efficient manner. The legislation is designed to ensure they have greater resources. Pollock said she is "grateful" the legislation is before the governor and will be "excited to watch it be implemented." "It is no secret that public defenders have struggled for decades with a need for increased staffing and greater resources in the face of ever-expanding workloads," she said. She called the bill a "a necessary and meaningful step forward." However principled the motivation, the legislation shows signs of the usual politicization in this hyper-political state. For example, Rosenbaum said Cook County lobbied for the legislation but is exempt from some provisions. For example, it leaves public defender appointment power with the president of the Cook County Board instead of transferring it to a committee. The legislation establishes regional offices of the state public defenders that are designed to provide additional resources to county public defender offices. The legislation calls for the Illinois Supreme Court initially to appoint a state public defender. The Coalition to End Money Bond praised the bill, contending it "build(s) on" the SAFE-T Act social-justice law that, among many other things, abolished the cash bond system. It said the new public defender law "brings Illinois closer to ensuring that public defenders have adequate resources" to provide high-quality representation to indigent defendants. Part of the law is devoted to establishing case management resources that ensure access to a "digital discovery storage management system" and "case management software." The new office also is directed to take a survey to determine "the number of employees and contractors providing" legal services and the variety of legal services they provide. It has an odd organizational status, one dubbed as an "independent agency" within the judicial branch. The legislation directs that the state public defender's office "shall" be under the supervision of the state public defender, not the Supreme Court.
Chicago Tribune
10-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin man convicted of sexually assaulting, murdering his niece being released from prison Thursday
Former Elgin resident Edward A. Milka is to be released from state prison Thursday after serving half of his 55-year sentence for the 1997 sexual assault and murder of his 11-year-old niece Brittany Martinez. Originally sentenced to 75 years after being convicted by a jury in 2000, 49-year-old Milka's term was reduced by 25 years as a result of the Illinois Supreme Court overturning the prison term in 2004 because Milka was not eligible for enhanced sentencing. Former FBI agent Beth Mullarkey, who worked on the case and helped the Elgin Police Department with the investigation, said the system can be unfair sometimes and that certainly is the case for Milka, who's being paroled from Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg. '(People) don't always get the sentence they deserve,' Mullarkey said. 'He should've done the whole time.' Milka grew up in Elgin, and it's not known whether he still has family in the city. It's not known where he will go once released. Wendi Howlett, Milka's sister and Brittany's mother, did not respond to requests for comment. She has consistently maintained her brother's innocence in the case. Brittany disappeared on May 8, 1997, the day Howlett took her and some friends to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The family returned home for dinner, and then Brittany said she was going to Wing Park with her friends. When Brittany's stepfather, came home, he said her friends were outside but Brittany wasn't with them, according to reports. They said Brittany rode her bike to her aunt's house, but when Wendi Howlett checked with the aunt, she learned Brittany wasn't there. The family started searching for her because it was unusual for the girl to not contact her mom or be out alone, Wendi Howlett said when interviewed for in an episode of the TV show 'The FBI Files.' Howlett reported her missing that night. As Elgin police started talking to family, friends and neighbors about the missing girl, they interviewed Milka. He told them he'd seen Brittany about 6 that night when he went to his sister's house, where Brittany had been visiting, to give his sister a ride to work. Police and volunteers combed the park and neighborhood looking for the 11-year-old without success. Her bike was later found in the basement of the family's apartment building. Mullarkey got involved in the case when the Elgin police asked the FBI for help. The McHenry County sheriff's office was also involved in the investigation. 'I lived that case every day for several months,' said Mullarkey, who worked for the FBI for 29 years until her retirement in 2016. 'It was an unbelievable experience for me. Milka was one of the last people who saw her alive. According to the TV show, he was defensive when police asked him to come to the station for an interview. He told authorities that he talked to Brittany briefly oustide before going to work, where he remained until about 9 p.m. He joined in the search and at one point stopped to buy cigarettes first, reports said. But Milka's alibi didn't check out — he never went to work nor did he stop at a gas station for cigarettes, officials said. One of his sisters gave police background on him, including that he had a low IQ, had few friends and never had a girlfriend, according to the TV episode. Later, Milka voluntarily contacted Elgin police to tell them about a 'vision' he had in which Brittany was near Elgin, cold and wet but not breathing, according to police. He said he saw her in an old car with two men near a farmhouse and that the men touched her all over. Brittany's body was found nine days after her disappearance in a branch of the Kishwaukee River in McHenry County, about 18 miles from Elgin. Milka's family had visited the area when he was a child, and the surroundings were similar to what Milka described in his vision. When he went on trial in McHenry County in 2000, his lawyers said there was no physical evidence linking Milka to the murder and described him as a 'moron' who couldn't have committed a murder, Mullarkey said. 'Nice try, but it doesn't take a genius to kill someone,' she said. 'Simple people can do horrible things,' she said. Prosecutors said Milka helped Brittany put her bike away in the basement, sexually assaulted her and killed her in the process. A jury convicted him of the crimes, but Wendi Howlett and other family members continued to defend Milka. 'I not only lost my daughter, I am now losing my brother to something I know he didn't do,' Wendi Howlett said on the TV show. 'I was more stunned and in shock … this can't be happening. This nightmare has to end somewhere.'
