Rather amazing that it's taken this long to go to trial. I know absolutely nothing about the charges that were eventually filed, though I recall the Chicago DA was an uppity black woman who didn't want to charge Jussie at all. It's pretty clear-cut that he did it: I mean, his two fellow homosexuals, the Nigerian bodybuilder brothers he paid for "personal training," were recorded buying the costumes and props he used for his hoax, and they quickly snitched and produced the check he cut to pay them.
So I suppose the question isn't whether or not he's convicted, but how significant is the punishment. Again, no idea what his actual crimes amount to in terms of jail and fines. Can he beat the rap by cutting a check?
There is no racial onus for a verdict like with recent Rittenhouse/Arbery/Charlottesville cases. The scope of this hoax is a blood libel against all whites and all conservatives, and it should be party to "hate crime" statutes in theory. But, those aren't going to be the charges. When we look back at the outcome and ask if Jussie got what he deserved, the answer is almost certain to be 'no.'
The single most curious question to me won't be answered at the trial. Will the Jews who run Hollywood and the media return Jussie Smollett to his station as a (now newly famous) actor and political figure once he is "rehabilitated?" Or will he be dusted under the rug and memory-holed? His sister's acting career seems to have flourished since the racial hate hoax, and she has had no trouble trading on her shared surname.