The legal team representing Jussie Smollett has filed an appeal brief, outlining their argument against the actor's conviction for orchestrating a hate crime hoax. According to the documents, the team argued that Smollett's "renewed prosecution" violated his due process rights, and that the judge's denial of the defense's motion for substitution of judge for cause was improper due to the judge's explicit bias towards Smollett. The brief also claimed that the trial court violated Smollett's due process rights by making "inappropriate comments" during cross-examination that impacted the jury's ability to provide an unbiased verdict. In 2021, a jury found Smollett guilty of five of the six charges of disorderly conduct against him after a two-week trial. Smollett had reported to Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in January 2019, but the investigation turned towards Smollett and he was later arrested on charges of orchestrating the attack and lying to police about it. Smollett's legal team had planned to appeal the verdict since the trial concluded in December 2021.