An appeals court upheld the disorderly conduct convictions Friday of actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying about it to Chicago police. Smollett, who appeared in the TV show “Empire,” challenged the role of a special prosecutor, jury selection, evidence and many other aspects of the case. But all were turned aside in a 2-1 opinion from the Illinois Appellate Court. “We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Supreme Court,” Smollett spokeswoman Holly Baird said, referring to Illinois' highest court and also noting that the opinion at the appellate court wasn't unanimous. ___More AP coverage of the Jussie Smollett case: https://apnews.com/hub/jussie-smollett

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Persons: Jussie Smollett, Smollett, ”, Donald Trump’s, Holly Baird, wasn't, Freddrenna Lyle, ” Lyle, Dan Webb, Webb, David Navarro, Mary Ellen Coghlan, ___ Organizations: Chicago police, Authorities, Prosecutors, Smollett, Cook Locations: Chicago, Illinois, MAGA