Bar Association Condemns “Unethical” Dismissal of Jussie Smollett Case

In an unusual, if not unprecedented public condemnation, the Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association ripped into Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx for how she handled the dismissal of the Jussie Smollett case this week, accusing her office of using “unethical” and “misleading” methods to free the “Empire” actor from any charges. Issued on behalf of the more than 1,000 members of the association, the IPBA’s statement said there was no way to put any credence into Foxx’s claim that the case was handled in a typical way.

“The events of the past few days regarding the Cook County State’s Attorney’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case is not condoned by the IPBA, nor is it representative of the honest ethical work prosecutors provide to the citizens of the State of Illinois on a daily basis,” the IPBA wrote.

“The manner in which this case was dismissed was abnormal and unfamiliar to those who practice law in criminal courthouses across the State,” they continued. “Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges alike do not recognize the arrangement Mr. Smollett received. Even more problematic, the State’s Attorney and her representatives have fundamentally misled the public on the law and circumstances surrounding the dismissal.”

The statement wrapped up by sharply criticizing Foxx and her representatives for trying to whitewash the absurd circumstances of the dismissal by characterizing it as just another day at the office. (Although, in fairness, that’s probably more true in Chicago than anywhere else.)

“The State’s Attorney has claimed this arrangement is ‘available to all defendants’ and ‘not a new or unusual practice.’ There has even been an implication it was done in accordance with a statutory diversion program. These statements are plainly misleading and inaccurate,” they wrote. “Through the repeated misleading and deceptive statements to the public on Illinois law and circumstances surrounding the Smollett dismissal, the State’s Attorney has failed in her most fundamental ethical obligations to the public. The IPBA condemns these actions.”

Not only was this a clear example of corruption in action, we have to cast serious doubts about Foxx’s intelligence. Did she really not think, with all of the national attention this case has gotten, that anyone would raise an eyebrow at watching Smollett get off with some previously-served community service? Did she really think the Chicago Police Department was going to take this lying down?

There is still a chance that justice will be served in this case as the feds are currently looking into it. Hopefully, once they’ve brought charges against Smollett, they’ll turn their eyes to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Something stinks in Chicago, and the smell is emanating from the desk of Kim Foxx.