Judge Orders Sealed Court Records In Aborted Jussie Smollett Prosecution Made Public

(Chicago Tribune) Jason Meisner May 23 2019 1:05 PM A Cook County judge ordered the case file in the aborted prosecution of Empire" actor Jussie Smollett unsealed Thursday in a victory for the Chicago Tribune and other news organizations. Smolletts attorney succeeded in sealing the court records at the same unannounced hearing in which States Attorney Kim Foxxs office abruptly dropped all charges that the actor had staged a hate crime attack on himself. After news organizations sought to unseal the records Smolletts legal team opposed the request citing the actors privacy rights. But Judge Steven Watkins held that those privacy rights had been trumped after Smollett and his attorneys went before the cameras to declare his innocence. These are not the actions of a person seeking to maintain his privacy or simply to be let alone" Watkins said. 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 court Tribune attorney Natalie Spears who represented the news media in the case said the judges decision should be applauded. This is about transparency and trust in the system and we believe the public has a right to know what their government did here and why" Spears said in the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building.