Who is Nenye Uche? All about Jussie Smollett's lawyer as actor's conviction in hate crime hoax gets overturned
The American singer and actor Jussie Smollett is reportedly off the hook for allegedly staging a fake hate crime incident on himself. According to TMZ's report on Thursday, November 21, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett's conviction in the case.
The court also reversed a special prosecutor's decision to trial Smollett after state charges were withdrawn. This happened after the actor was accused of allegedly organizing a homophobic and racist attack on himself in downtown Chicago in 2019.
As per WNCT’s November 21 report, talking about the same, Smollett's attorney, Nenye Uche, opened up about the court's ruling to reverse his conviction and said:
"This was not a prosecution based on facts, rather it was a vindictive persecution and such a proceeding has no place in our criminal justice system. Ultimately, we are pleased that the rule of law was the big winner today. We are thankful to the Illinois Supreme Court for restoring order to Illinois’ criminal law jurisprudence.”
Nenye E. Uche is an Illinois-based personal injury litigation and trial lawyer with national recognition. Uche specializes in class actions, civil rights litigation, criminal defense, and DUI defense.
He prosecuted more than a thousand felony cases during his tenure as a prosecutor at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Additionally, he also worked at the Wisconsin Supreme Court as a judicial extern to Justice Butler.
Nenye Uche represented Jussie Smollett after he was charged with allegedly staging a hate crime incident on himself
Nenye Uche is a nationally renowned trial lawyer and litigator. He has taken up more than five hundred cases spanning a variety of legal specialties, from criminal and DUI defense to civil rights and personal injury claims. As per his LinkedIn profile, he is:
“Former prosecutor and trial attorney who effectively and successfully focuses on criminal defense, DUI defense, civil rights litigation, personal injury litigation and class actions.”
Jussie Smollett's lawyer joined the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, one of the biggest and most prestigious prosecutor's offices in the US, after graduating from law school. He successfully prosecuted well over a thousand criminal cases throughout his tenure as a prosecutor, gaining extensive advocacy knowledge that he now uses to help his clients.
He had also served as the Cook County State's Attorney's Office prosecutor and assistant attorney before joining the Wisconsin Supreme Court as a judicial extern to Justice Butler. In addition to his effectiveness as a trial advocate, Jussie Smollett's lawyer has handled a number of high-profile cases.
He has also received recognition from renowned legal associations. For instance, he has won other honors, including the Mathy's Memorial Award for Appellate Advocacy, the Best Attorney Award from the Stanford Law School Mock Trial Competition, and the Best Petitioner's Brief from August A. Rendigs National Products Liability Moot Court Competition.
Furthermore, he was also a member of the University of Wisconsin Mock Trial Team and the Competition Chair of the University of Wisconsin Moot Court Board. His name was on the 2020 Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star List and the Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 list by The National Trial Lawyers.
More about Jussie Smollett's case
Smollett's 2019 allegations that masked Donald Trump supporters shouted racist slurs, doused him in bleach, and tied a rope around his neck sparked the alleged fake hate crime case. However, a further police investigation found that Smollett paid two work acquaintances to allegedly stage the assault.
In December 2021, Jussie Smollett was convicted of five counts pertaining to the alleged staging of the hate crime attack. After being charged, Smollett received a sentence of 150 days in county jail two and a half years on probation in March 2022.
His attorneys appealed the special prosecution, which resulted in his early release. Nevertheless, Jussie Smollett denied any misconduct on several occasions during the proceedings.
Reportedly, only 6 of Smollett's 150-day sentences had been served. The remaining days would be revoked if the case gets dismissed by a lower court.
